IRCTC Announces New Rules For Train Ticket Booking: All Details Here

IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), the subsidiary and ticketing body of Indian Railways has announced a new set of rules for train ticket booking.

The IRCTC made some changes in existing rules to follow the protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As the Indian railways have decided to restore the pre-COVID system of preparing the second reservation chart 30 minutes before the departure time, the railway tickets will now available even before five minutes before the departure.

The decision of preparing the second reservation chart 30 minutes before the departure of the trains has been taken after many zonal railways have requested for the same. This has been done for the convenience of passengers.

“As per the request of Zonal Railways for ensuring convenience of rail passengers, the matter has been examined and it has been decided that the second reservation chart shall be prepared at least 30 minutes before scheduled or rescheduled time of departure of the train,” Indian Railways said in a statement.

“Accordingly, the ticket booking facility — both online and on PRS ticket counters — shall be available, before preparation of the second chart. CRIS will make necessary modifications in the software accordingly so as to restore this provision with effect from October 10,” it added.

Booking/Cancellation of train tickets 5 minutes before departure time:

• Just like pre-COVID times, the first reservation chart will be prepared 4 hours before the departure of the train while the 2nd reservation chart is going to be prepared between half-hour to five minutes before departure of the train.

• This means until the second reservation chart is ready, passengers can book train tickets. Tickets can even be cancelled during this point, as per the provisions of the refund rules.

• If a seat, which was booked within the first chart of reservation, become vacant due to cancellation, are often booked through PRS counters and online till the second chart is ready.

Here is how you can book a train ticket before 5 minutes from IRCTC:

1. Log on to irctc.co.in and register to create your IRCTC account.

2. Visit irctc.co.in/nget/train-search to start your train search.

3. Fill in the source and destination, select the journey date, class of coach, and click on the ‘Find Trains’ option.

4. Choose the train from the search list, along with the class of travel.

5. · Click on ‘Check Availability and Fare’ option.

6. If seats are available, proceed to Book Ticket.

7. Click on Book Now option, fill in the required details such as name, age, gender, and berth preference.

8. If the confirmed berths are allotted, the booking option will be allotted.

9. Scroll down and enter the phone number and captcha code. Click on the Continue Booking option.

10. At the payment options page, choose the preferred option for payment, i.e., credit card, debit card, or others.

11. After the payment is done, the ticket will be booked and the user will receive the confirmation along with your ticket on your registered phone number and email ID.

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