As you click on this review, I’m quite sure most of you are wondering, WHAT is this unheard website all about? For sure, the websites name is not self explanatory, its not like https://bookrailticketshere.com https://indianrailtickets.com or something like that which most people would expect.. But thats perhaps the ONLY drawback of this wonderful little site that our very own Indian Railways has come up with!
I stumbled upon this website a couple of months back while planning my trip to North India. I wanted to book two train tickets in advance and I had no clue how to do it from Dubai- where I’m based. There was an option of asking someone I knew in Delhi to do it and keep the tickets, but I kept that as a last option. A good search of various Indian Railway websites (trust me, there are quite a few for each zone of IR) led me to various timetables, routes, special trains etc..but nowhere was I near to finding an ’’online booking website’’. Then on my nth search of the net, I found this button on one of the IR sites, which said click here for online reservation..and voila, http://www.irctc.co.in popped up!
IRCTC stands for Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited and I never knew it existed, till a few months back! After the usual userID/password routine of creating an account for free, I was led through to the area where I could select and book the ticket.
Surprisingly, the website was a delight to use, it gave me great options of choosing the route and train and told me about the availability of seats, waiting list number and even gave me an option of choosing which seat I wanted! There were two options of booking tickets; e-ticket and i-ticket(more on that later). Also, I could book upto 6 people at a time if I wanted, and there was an in-built facility where it would store all details after the first usage to save time!
Even as I astonishingly went through all this smoothly without any hassle, I was a bit skeptical about it all especially about the credit card payment issue..After all it was our Indian government website, God knows how conked up it is! However, I have to admit, there were NO problems at all, especially in the credit card payment, and though I was wrongly charged for one ticket twice, I was promptly refunded back the amount in a matter of hours, after a lot of e-mail apologies by the customer care department! I was amazed, is this really an Indian Railway website?!
A few points and features about the website that one should know:
1) E-ticket booking is more or less like booking a confirmed airline ticket on the net. However, this can currently be done only on select trains and instant tickets will be issued ONLY if there is a confirmed seat. Print outs of these tickets can be taken and used as a normal ticket. Waiting list tickets cannot be booked through this method.
2) I-ticket booking is an option where one can book online in advance a normal or waiting list ticket in any class on any train in India. If a waiting list ticket is booked, one can monitor the PNR Status for it on the website. The difference between e-ticket and i-ticket is that one cannot print out i-ticket and use it, one has to either opt for home delivery of the original ticket or arrange for its collection before the journey.
3) Mobile ticket booking is possible for registered IRCTC website users based in India via just a few SMS!
4) Payment can be done only via credit card. Any Master or Visa credit card can be used. A full FAQ section is there on the website which can answer any query.
4) Once tickets are booked, one can opt for home delivery of the ticket (done to almost every nook and corner but only within India). For passengers like me outside India, there is a secret service provided..well, its not secret anymore..hehe! IRCTC being the ever caring darlings, they will keep the tickets IN their office for you, if you give them a special request. One can then collect it personally from IRCTC New Delhi headquarters(like I did), after submitting the ID..and there is no extra charge for this very very convenient service!
5) A reasonable service charge ranging from Rs. 40 to Rs. 60 per ticket(depending on the class of travel) is charged. Please note that this charge is NOT per passenger, but per ticket, and that is great. It means that you will pay a service charge only ONCE, for a ticket that entitles for eg. 4 people to travel (6 is the maximum you can book at a time)
6) The online customer care of IRCTC (care@irctc.co.in) was absolutely efficient, quick and superb. Moreover, when I went to collect my tickets in person at the IRCTC HQ, I hardly waited for 5 minutes(even though there were LONG queues in every other counter) and I truly felt like a king.. the team working here deserves a standing ovation!
7) Strangely enough, https://irctc.co.in has working hours! Though general features are available 24 hours to read and understand, online ticket booking is only possible between 4am and 11.30pm IST on all days of the week.
Believe me, finding this super website was one of the highlights of my recent India trip, even before I started it! This is a smart new step for the rail traveller in India who doesnt want to or cannot spend hours in queues! More than that, this is a blessing in disguise for foreign or non-resident Indian tourists who can avoid all the hassle of booking a railway ticket in the old fashioned way! Truly, it just goes to show that given the right kind of support, infrastructure, commitment and brains, anything in India can be world-class!
-ShaZ-