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How to make train reservation in Indian Railways?

  • Admin
  • 16 Oct 2023
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What is Train Ticket Reservation/Booking?

Train ticket booking is a confirmation that you have booked a particular berth in the selected class of train until you reach your destination. Tickets can be booked in various ways, through railway station ticket counters, online booking, Paytm etc.

Must Read : Booking Train Tickets for Travel in India - All You Need To Know

How to Make a Reservation in Indian Railways

Travellers need a reservation in Indian railways on all classes except general class. If you are travelling in general class you just need to buy the tickets.

Here are the ways to make a reservation in Indian Railways.

1. Online Reservation

There are some travel portals through which you can easily book your tickets or make the reservation nowadays. Such as Cleartrip.com etc. Other than these portals there are few sites of Indian railway which you can find useful. Like, irctc.co.in, indianrail.gov.in , india.gov.in etc.

  1. Log in to a website or an online portal
  2. Select the source and the destination station
  3. Select a train
  4. Check ticket availability
  5. Fill passenger details
  6. Now if you are done then the next step is the payment.
  7. They are some details you need to give relating to your payment. You may need some ID proofs during filling up the details.

When you are finished with the booking, an email and a message will be to the registered mobile number with the required details.

Must Read : Indian Railways Classes – A Guide to Ticket Booking

2. Reservation Through Indian Railways Booking Counter/Office

Generally, there are some options which you may not find while online booking but you can find them if you come to book the tickets or for reservation in person. Like senior citizens, ladies quota some others. Some steps to book a ticket through tickets counter

  • You must go to the nearest railway station and request for the reservation form.
  • Fill the passenger's details, (Like: Train No. & Name, Date of Journey, Class,  No. of berth/seat, station from and to, passengers name, age, gender, berth preference etc.)
  • If you are done with that now you can go back to the counter for payment.
  • Now you can get your tickets and each ticket will have a 10 digit unique PNR number.

 

Indian Railway Administration provides reservation if berths, seats, compartment. Travellers need to buy the tickets from the railway reservation office or authorized travel agency. They can reserve upto 120 days advance, in case passengers have any doubt about the availability of seats. A person can book tickets for a maximum of six passengers.

The 10 digit PNR number you receive when your booking is finished, is very important. Because during the journey if you fail to provide the number, you will be treated as travelling without ticket and can be charged.

Also Read : Indian Railway Ticket Cancellation Charges and Rules

Reservation fees according to the category of train:

Class Reservation Fees
AC first Rs. 60
AC 2 Tier Rs. 50
IST (mail/express) Rs. 50
AC-3 Tier Rs. 40
AC chair car Rs. 40
Sleeper (mail/express) Rs. 20
Second sitting (mail/express) Rs. 15
Sleeper (ordinary) Rs. 20
Second sitting (ordinary) Rs. 15

Also Read : Travelling in Train - 10 Reasons Why We Love It

3. Reservation Through Main Site of Indian Railway

 

IRCTC or Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (www.irctc.co.in) is the main site of Indian Railway. There is also an application is there named IRCTC to make your journey easier.

Service charge minimum of Rs. 20 will be charged for the second or sleeper class from 12:20 AM to 1:45 PM. This is the main site if Indian Railway. Here you can find every category from Tatkal, Child tickets, senior citizens to tickets for persons with disabilities. You can find senior citizen tickets at a concessional rate.

Also Read : History of Indian Railways – 1853 to 2018

Key things to know about IRCTC

  • An account will be verified through Adhar card
  • Maximum six tickets can be booked by an individual in a month
  • Passenger must carry the e-reservation slip. Otherwise Rs. 50 will be imposed by the ticket checking staff.

Also Read : 20 Interesting Facts About Indian Railways

How to book a ticket from IRCTC?

  • Register your name
  • Login with username and password
  • Click the option "Plan my travel"
  • Select source and destination station along with the journey date
  • Selec the e-ticket option and click on "Submit".
  • Now you can choose a train.
  • Select a class under the train list. Then they will show the fare according to the class.
  • Now select a train.
  • Now click on "Book Now".
  • Ticket reservation page will appear now.
  • Fill the details.
  • Now ticket details will appear along with the payment option.
  • Select the drop-down button beside the "select bank" box after entering the payment methods.
  • After finishing your payment method by clicking on the "Make payment" button, print the reservation slip.

Also Read : Indian Railways to Introduce Luxury Coaches with Glass Ceiling

Kashi Mahakal Express - Route, Fare, How to book

Some Luxury Trains Offered by Indian Railways :

1. Maharajas' Express: Maharajas' Express is one of the most expensive and luxurious train in the world which owned and operated by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. It covers destinations like Delhi, Ranthambore, Agra, Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Varanasi, Khajuraho etc. Maharajas' Express offers the best rail journey with all kind of royal amenities including delicious cuisine and beverages. The fare starts from 2,07,250/-.

Must read : How to Book Maharajas' Express Train?

2. Palace on Wheels : This is the most royal and luxurious train in India, launched by the Indian Railways in association with Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation. It provides world-class facilities and services which will provide you with a lifetime experience. The fare starts from Rs 51,900/- per person per night.

Also Read : How To Book Palace On Wheels Train Ticket?

3. Deccan Odyssey: Deccan Odyssey is is the Asia’s Leading luxury train to boost the tourism of Maharashtra route. The train run by the joint collaboration between Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Indian Railways. Luxurious accommodation, world-class dining, lovely cultural performances will entertain you and will take care of you. The fare starts from 4,71,380/-.

Read More About Luxury Train : 

Find Your Train

1. "Plan My Journey" is a new facility provided by the Indian Railways for the passengers on the IRCTC website. After you complete the registration process, get inside the website with the user login, and click on the top left side of the screen to get details about it

2. Give information about the station from where you need to depart. Also, add the station name from where you want to start the start journey.

3. If no train available for your travel for the chosen destinations. you will be able to see the error message on your mobile or desktop screen at the time of booking. In such cases, try to give some different stations available. You can see the list of trains available to choose from the nearby stations or use the filter type to choose your train and class of travel.

4. After you complete the train selection process along with the class type, check the availability of beds in the train. When you check this, you will be able to see the train fare for the travel. See the check the availability of beds in the chosen train along with the train fare during the booking process.

5. If there is no train seats or beds available for your train travel, your name will be added on the waitlist. If the status is RAC, then it means you can still get the seat on the chosen train. But the beds will be allocated to you only based on the cancellations. If you prefer to book a Waitlist ticket, you will not be allowed unless there were enough cancellations by the other passengers.

6. After you find the favorite train to continue the journey, click the Book Now button under the "Availability". On doing this, you will be redirected to the reservation page where you will be able to see all the details of the selected train under Availability. Just fill the personal information requested on the page, and complete the payment.

7. You can do a similar process without doing the log in formalities on the Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Inquiry website. What you have to do is choose the "Seat Availability" option found at the top of the screen, and found a favorite train to travel on.

Alos read : Why did British Introduced Railways in India?

Tips for Making Reservations

1. No matter whether you do the registration through the online counter or online procedure, you can check the status on the website. If you have a RAC or waiting list for the reserved ticket, you will be given the option to check the status of the ticket in the v using the option Check PNR Status under Enquiries. You need to give your obtained PNR number to get the status.

2. The cancellation option is available for the booked candidates, so before the departure, you can cancel it. But you should cancel it before 24 hours from the time of departure. As most of the beds available in this class will be cancelled at the last time, you will get the best chance to get the beds for your travel.

3. The IRCTC website will be closed daily for the maintenance works by the administrator from 11.45 p.m. to 12.20 a.m. Indian standard time. You can afford the services at this time. Also, you cannot use the "Quick Book" option as it will be disabled from 8 a.m. to noon. At this time, click Ticket Booking under Services for the booking.

4. During the busiest travel periods, it is difficult to get the seats in the last month, so bookings will be open for the travelers 120 days before the departure. Using this option, you can book the tickets ASAP. If you take more time to book your class type, you will find your name on the waiting list because of the increased demand for booking.

5. If you visit the counter for booking, you have to meet the disorderly crowd in the queue for booking. Instead, choose the online train ticket booking method on the IRCTC website to book your tickets in the smoothest way. Sometimes you will get the error message at the time of your booking process. In such times, you need to be more patient and refresh the browser to re-enter your transaction.

6. Sometimes the name of the station differs from the place name from where you need to travel to reach your destination. In such cases, do a little search, and it can be done researching on the trains list on the Glance time table.

7. Many a number of quota schemes are available at the time of travel in the Indian Railways. In popular trains, last-minute bookings are permitted. This booking can be done using the "Tatkal" Quota. In this method of booking, beds will be released for the booking, 24 hours earlier. Foreigners will get Foreign Tourist Quota to obtain the bed in peak times. The availability of both quotas should be seen in the Reservation Inquiry website at the time of checking the availability of your desired train.

Documents or ID Cards are Required for Train Ticket Booking

  1. Adhar card
  2. Voter ID card
  3. Passport
  4. Driving license
  5. Pan card
  6. Student ID
  7. Bank passbook with photographs
  8. Credit/Debit card
  9. Photo ID cards

Must Read : Most Important Thing To Carry While Traveling In Trains

You will need the ID proofs during filling up the details. And photocopies are a must. You should keep a few scanned passport size photos.

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