Getting a railway ticket is something that is well sought for among travellers in India. This is not surprising given that railway travel continues to be the preferred mode of travel for millions of travellers round through the year. Choose any destination and any train and you would do well to plan out your travel because more often than not, there is a huge demand for railway tickets. This is one of the prime reasons that it is vital to have some idea of Indian railway reservation rules which could well determine the difference between having a pleasure trip or a veritable nightmare.

 Period of advance reservation:

Railway reservation rules change from time to time. Some of the current reservation rules in Indian railways include the stipulation that tickets can be booked in advance 60 days ahead of the date of travel. This rule is uniformly applicable to all trains and classes of travel, as well.

In the case of stations that are intermediate (not from starting destination), the period of advance reservation could be a day more than that is applicable for the starting destination. This is generally applicable for express and long distance trains, however, in the case of inter-city trains, the period for advance booking could be marginally less, as well. There are a few new rules of Indian railway reservation that one has to keep in mind. For one, the advance reservation period which used to be 90 days now stands at 60 days.

Tatkal:

Tatkal reservation rules stipulate that Tatkal tickets would be available a day in advance of the day of travel. The change as compared to earlier is that the Tatkal tickets can be booked from point to point and one does not have to buy paying full fare of tickets from the source to destination. Tatkal charges are fixed as per class of travel and the Indian railways website provides exact information of the applicable charges. Passengers can travel on Tatkal tickets as long as they have any of 10 identification proofs that are prescribed by the railways. PAN cards, drivers licence, voters ID card are some of the proofs that are admissible. As per railway ticket reservation rules, 10% of the tickets on the high demand and high speed Shatabdi trains are also available under the Tatkal scheme.

Reservation at stations:

Reservation of tickets at railways stations at pre-designated reservation counters commences 60 days prior to the date of travel. Computerization of ticket reservation allows real-time ticket booking so that the status of reservations is available at any given point in time. Railway tickets can also be booked till one hour of departure of the train from the current booking counter at the station.

Online reservation:

Reserving tickets online is quite a convenient mode of reservation. Indian railway online reservation rules stipulate that prospective travellers should register themselves on the Indian railways website. Irctc.co.in is the official site, which provides information, as well as online reservation menu for booking tickets. You can book tickets using credit or debit cards, as well as net-banking and print your tickets in just a jiffy. Online reservation makes it possible for you to book tickets without having to wait for hours in queues on the reservation counter. The computerization of reservation employs accurate logic for allotment of seats in a transparent and glitch free manner. You can opt for special berths, as well as food options in certain premium trains, which offer food on board like Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi or Duronto trains. Passengers are required to carry photo identification proofs while undertaking travel on tickets that are booked online. 

Reservation confirmation:

As per rail reservation rules, travellers are allowed to travel on reserved seats in trains only if they have a confirmation of the reservation. Those who have waitlisted tickets are not allowed to occupy reserved seats and are advised not to board trains on waitlisted tickets. There are a few tickets that are under ‘reservation under cancellation’ status and such passengers are allotted partial berths and are allowed to travel on running trains. As and when seats are available, travellers with tickets that are on ‘reservation under cancellation’ status could get confirmed seats.

 Rules while travelling

Passengers with tickets for reserved berths can sleep on the berths between 9 pm and 6 am during travel. At other times, passengers are expected to allow co-passengers to sit on the berths. It is advised that passengers provide cooperation for smooth and seamless travel.

Cancellation rules

Passengers are allowed to cancel their tickets prior to departure of the train and get a refund of the fare depending on how much time prior to the departure the cancellation has been made. If a passenger does not arrive 10 minutes before the departure of the train, authorities are within their rights to allot the ticket to passengers whose tickets are booked under ‘reservation against cancellation’ status. Passengers attempting to cancel tickets post departure of the train will not be eligible for any refund in fare; hence, time is essence when it comes to ticket cancellations. 

Impersonation:

 Railway rules are quite clear that only passengers who have reserved tickets should travel themselves on berths or seats that have been booked for them. Impersonation of any kind wherein a ticket is booked on someone’s name and someone else attempts to travel on the same ticket is prohibited and specifically liable to punishment as per applicable rules and laws.