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I. Advance Reservation
1. Can I book a ticket from Bhubaneswar to Bangalore at Howrah?
Yes, you can. In fact, you can book your ticket for any train on the Indian Railways network, from any originating station to any destination* at any of the 1340 Computerised Reservation Centres, across the country. With the networking of New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Secunderabad and Chennai Passenger Reservation Systems, you can now book your onward and return journey tickets from any computerized Reservation Centre nearest to you – not just from major railway stations. This networking makes reservation of tickets faster and simpler.
* Reservations can be made subject to distance restrictions and availability of quotas.
Internet tickets
Reserved tickets can also be obtained by accessing the website www.irctc.co.in. Payments can be made directly through the site. Please follow the instructions posted on the site.
2. How many days in advance can I reserve my ticket?
You can reserve your ticket 60 days in advance, excluding the date of journey at the train originating station. At intermediate stations where the train arrives the following day, reservation can be done 61 days in advance. In the case of some intercity day express trains, the advance reservation period is less.
3. How do I know the reservation status of my ticket?
The reservation status will be clearly indicated in your ticket. If your ticket is confirmed, your coach and berth numbers will be mentioned on your ticket in all classes other than First Class and AC First Class. For these, the word “Confirmed” will be printed alongside the class of travel. If your ticket is in RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation)/Waitlisted status, the same will be mentioned on the ticket. Note: Passengers are requested to kindly note that while every effort will be made to ensure a comfortable, hassle-free journey, Indian Railways are not liable to compensate a passenger due to non-provision of reserved accommodation or for any losses suffered due to late running of trains and other such unintended eventualities which are not willful or deliberately perpetrated.
4. Can I board the train with a RAC/Waitlisted ticket?
You can board the train with an RAC ticket. You will be provided with sitting accommodation initially and allotted a berth (in case of passengers not turning up) in the train.
5. How can I board a train in the reserved coach if I am not able to get a waitlisted ticket?
Yes. If you don’t have any ticket, you may approach the Train Superintendent/TTE after purchasing an unreserved ticket from the booking office as specified in the following table. The TTE will allot the accommodation, subject to availability. |
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| Category of Train |
Class of Travel |
Min. Class of Ticket required for permission to Board from Intermediate Stations |
| i) Rajdhani/Shatabdi |
1A, 2A, 3A, AC Chair Car |
1st Class Ordinary |
| ii) Jan Shatabdi |
AC Chair Car, 2nd Seat |
1st Class Ordinary/ 2nd Mail Express |
| iii) Mail/Express |
FC,1A, 2A, 3A, AC Chair, SL, 2nd Seat |
1st Class Ordinary 2nd Mail/Express. |
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However, in case you have a second-class ticket and could not get reservation in sleeper class and desire to travel in any upper class, you may approach the on-board ticket checking staff, who can upgrade your ticket accordingly subject to availability of accommodation except in Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express trains.
6. How do I find out the current status of my unconfirmed ticket?
You can contact the Enquiry Counters at your nearest Computersied Reservation Centre or call the Interactive Voice Response System, available at major stations. Remember to always quote the 10 digit PNR Number indicated on the upper left hand corner of your ticket, to find out the current status.
The current status of your ticket can also be obtained from the Indian Railways Passenger Information Website: www.indianrailways.gov.in. This site also provides real-time information relating to availability of seats (and berths in a train even between a pair of stations), timetable and train fares etc. For general information on Indian Railways, passengers can access the Indian Railways website: www.indianrailways.gov.in.
7. How does the Railway Automatic Telephone Enquiry System work?
Present Status: The railway telephone enquiry system is automated telephone enquiry system, which gives you details of accommodation availability and the current status of your tickets. The telephone numbers may be ascertained from the Station Manager/ Reservation Office. The telephone numbers at metropolitan cities are as follows: Kolkata: 138. Chennai: 131, 1361, 1362 and 1363. Mumbai: 1330, 1335. Bhubaneswar 131 & 133 (PNR), Visakhapatnam : 130, 131 & 132. On dialing these numbers and following step-by-step instructions, you will get the desired information.
Apart from this system, Integrated Train Enquiry System (ITES) through Call Centres has been introduced with mega capacity of 250-1000 phone lines at Patna and Bangalore. Details of accommodation availability, PNR status, running status of trans, rules/regulations, train routes etc can be obtained through a universal number accessible from any type of phone (Landline, Mobile and WLL) and will be available from any where including far flung areas and villages. It will be a local call within a particular telecom circle. In case a person wishes to get manual enquiry, he will be directed through Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS).
Future Plan: The facility of such call centres will be extended to other telecom circles also with more options. Apart from the passenger related enquiry value added services like booking of tickets, hotel, taxi, auctioning of tickets, SMS based enquiry etc. will also be available through ITES.
II. Tatkal Scheme
1. What do I do, if I cannot plan my journey in advance?
Though it is always advisable to plan your journey well in advance, there may be times when this is not possible. For such situations, Indian Railways have introduced the Tatkal Scheme in Sleeper Class, AC Chair Class, 3-Tier AC and 2-Tier AC classes in almost all Mail/Express trains.
The reservation under this scheme commences at 8 a.m. on the previous day for which the reservation is being sought. There is a proposal to start Tatkal Bookings three days before i.e., for journey on 5th, the booking would be starting at 8 a.m. on 2nd. The date of implementation of the proposal will be notified separately.
No proof of identity is required to be produced by the passengers seeking reservation under Tatkal Scheme, neither at the time of booking nor during the journey.
2. What are the broad features of the revised Tatkal Scheme?
i. To meet the urgent requirement of the passengers who plan their journey at short notice, Tatkal reservation facility has been provided in Sleeper Class, Air-conditioned Chair Class, 3-AC & 2-AC classes in almost all Mail/Express trains including special trains, which can be booked even on Internet.
ii. The advance reservation period under this scheme is five days excluding the day of journey.
iii. No proof of identity is required to be produced by the passenger seeking reservation under Tatkal Scheme, neither at the time of booking nor during the journey.
iv. The premium on Tatkal Scheme on different classes is as under: |
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| Srl. No. |
Class |
Tatkal Charges |
| During non-peak period (15th July to 15th Sep.) |
Peak period (16th Sept. to 14th July) |
| i) |
AC 2 –tier |
Rs.200/- |
Rs.300/- |
| ii) |
AC 3 – tier |
Rs.200/- |
Rs.300/- |
| iii) |
AC Chair Car |
Rs.75/- |
Rs.150/- |
| iv) |
Sleeper |
Rs.75/- |
Rs.150/- |
| GARIB RATH |
| i) |
AC 3-tier (GR) |
Rs.200/- |
Rs.300/- |
| ii) |
AC Chair Car (GR) |
Rs.75/- |
Rs.150/- |
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III. Know Your Ticket
1. How should I read a Computerised Reservation Ticket? |
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a. The Passenger Name Record (PNR) Number printed on your ticket is a unique number. Quote this number to check the status of your ticket.
b. Indicates the train number date of journey, the distance for which the ticket is issued and the number of adults and children on your ticket.
c. Refers to the class of accommodation in which you intend to travel. Such class of accommodation is abbreviated as below:
d. 1A-First AC; 2A-2-Tier AC Sleeper; 3A-3-Tier AC; CC-AC Chair Car; FC – First Class; SL – Sleeper Class; II- Second Class Seat.
e. Indicates the originating and destination station of your journey as well as the station up to which you have sought a reservation. The name of such stations is displayed in both English and Hindi.
f. Indicates the confirmed Status of your ticket. Viz. Coach No. A2, Berth/Seat No. 34, Sex: M (Male)/ F (Female), Age: 38. In case you have AC First Class or First Class Ticket, the coach number or seat/berth number is not displayed. Such passengers may ascertain their actual accommodation status from the Reservation Chart.
g. Indicates your waitlisted position. Two such waitlist numbers are indicated: the first, is the running waitlist number and the second, the current waitlist number at the time of booking your ticket. The former is unique for a given train, date, route and class combination you are traveling on. Please look at the reservation chart with reference to your running waitlist number to instantly ascertain the final status of your ticket.
PQWI, RLWL, RSWL etc. indicate waitlist position of your ticket. PQ, RL and RS are internal codes used for operations reasons.
h. Indicates the amount paid for your ticket, both in words and figures. This may include charges such as Concession Amount (CONC) Reservation Fee (R Fee), Super Fast Charges (S.CH) and Voucher Charges (Vou. Ch).
i. Displays the name of the train, your boarding stations and the date and time of your travel.
j. Displays the date and time you bought your ticket.
IV. Refund
1. What are the rules for refund against cancellation of a reservation ticket?
A flat refund of 25% of total fare charged on the ticket, excluding Tatkal charges may be granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets, which are presented for cancellation up to 24hrs. before the scheduled departure of the train. However, full refund of fare and Tatkal Charges will be granted on the confirmed Tatkal tickets booked under this scheme in the following circumstances:
i) If the train is delayed by more than 3 hours from the train originating station;
ii) In case of non-attachment of coach in which Tatkal Accommodation has been earmarked and the passenger has not been provided accommodation in the same class.
iii) If the party has been accommodated in lower class and does not want to travel. In case the party travels in lower class, the passenger will be given refund of difference of fare and also the difference of Tatkal charges, if any. Normal Rules applicable for grant of refund on wait list/partially confirmed tickets will also be applicable to the waitlisted and partially confirmed Tatkal Tickets.
The reservation under this scheme is available only upto the time of preparation of charts.
The booking under Tatkal Scheme will be done only from originating to terminating point of the train with boarding facility from intermediate station. Any passenger boarding from an intermediate station can book Tatkal Accommodation but ticket will be end-to-end and charged accordingly, with permission to broad the train from intermediate station.
2. Can I get refunds across the counter?
In most cases, if your tickets are surrendered for cancellation within the prescribed time limits, you can get refunds across the counter.
3. What are the prescribed time limits?
a) Where the ticket issuing and journey commencing stations are the same and in cases where they are different (like/onward tickets), the ticket should be surrendered at the journey commencing station within the following time limits. |
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| Distance of your journey |
Time limit for cancellation (After the scheduled departure of the train) |
| Up to 200 Kms. |
3 hrs. |
| 201 to 500 Kms |
6 hrs. |
| Over 500 Kms. |
12 hrs. |
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b) If the ticket has been issued for travel from some other stations, refund can be obtained at the ticket issuing station before the train departs.
c) Refund can also be obtained from a station other than the ticket issuing and journey commencing stations. In such cases, the ticket should be surrendered during working hours, before the preparation of Reservation Chart. Refund will be admissible subject to verification.
For trains departing between 21.00 hours and 06.00 hours, you can get a refund either within the prescribed time limits or within four hours of opening of the Reservation Office, whichever is later. |
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