GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-3119

ANSWERED ON-19.12.2014

Premium Tatkal tickets

3119 . SHRI SANJAY RAUT

(a) whether under the new policy and rules of Government, train passengers are being looted by charging higher fares in the name of premium Tatkal tickets, whereas several trains are running with vacant seats; and

(b) if so, the reasons for such kind of injustice with passengers?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a)&(b): In order to improve the earnings from passenger services, w.e.f. 01.10.2014, in some of the selected trains by Zonal Railways which are most in demand, 50% of the existing accommodation under Tatkal Quota has been earmarked as Premium Tatkal Quota and is being booked on dynamic pricing.
This is a distance-slab based fare scheme where the fare increases by 20% after each slab of 10% berths are sold subject to a cap (maximum fare chargeable).

Tatkal is a facility over and above the normal booking of reserved seats/berths.

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Source- http://rajyasabha.nic.in/

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IRCTC now gives option to choose the berths and seats at the time of reserving tickets online.

Until now, private bus operators gave users the option to choose their berths and seats at the time of booking their tickets on the internet. From next month onwards, IRTC too is going to give the option to its users when they book their railway tickets online. IRTC has added this facility for the sake of senior citizens, families with children and for the sick and ailing passengers.

Senior citizens, women and those travelling with children were, until now, not given the option to choose the berths they wanted. All they could do was give their preference for middle or lower berths. They would be given those berths only if they were available. Only if all the berths of the S1 coach are filled will the berth allocation for S2 coach begin. So even if the seat desired by the passenger is vacant in the S2 berth, he/she cannot reserve it.

While presenting the annual Railway budget last week in the Parliament, the Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda said that passengers will now have the option to choose the coach and berth at the time of reserving the tickets online. He added that there will also be an option to choose the food menu while booking the tickets!

The Railways already offers facilities for users to book resting rooms at the destination station while reserving the tickets. Initially one had to arrive at the station, pay the fees and then book the resting room. Now, at the time of booking their tickets, they can also reserve the resting rooms at the prime destination stations.

Like railway tickets, these rooms too can be booked 90 days in advance. After reserving the tickets, the user has to present the reserved ticket to the officer-in-charge of the resting room and reserve the rooms at the destination station.

Although there are some practical difficulties in executing these plans, the passengers are delighted.

But, despite all these facilities offered, booking tickets on the IRTC website continues to be a daunting task.

Source: CGEN.in
[http://centralgovernmentemployeesnews.in/2014/07/irctc-launches-berth-selection-option-while-reserving-tickets/]

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Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Railways

25-June-2013 16:09 IST

Indian Railways Undertakes Comprehensive Revision of its Refund Rules
The Revised Refund Rules will Come into Effect From 1st July 2013

Ministry of Railways has revised and amended Refund Rules in a very comprehensive manner and notified them which shall come into force with effect from 1.7.2013. The amendments made in the Refund Rules are aimed at simplification, efficiency in processing and reduction of bogus refund claims.

Railway Passengers (Cancellation of ticket and Refund of fare) Rules, 1998 have not been substantially revised in the last 15 years during which period a large number of changes have taken place in the ticketing system of Indian Railways.  Firstly, Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) as well as Computerised Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) have proliferated. Reservation through internet has also been introduced through which 45% of the total reserved tickets are issued. Integrated Train Enquiry System — 139 is functional through which ticket status can be obtained through SMS. The above developments warranted that the refund rules be revised comprehensively.

The major changes in the existing rules and the amendments in refund rules are as under:-

Unused (unreserved) tickets on which no reservation has been made:-

Unused tickets on which reservation has been made :-

(i) if the ticket is presented for cancellation more than forty eight hours instead of the existing 24 hours in advance of the scheduled departure of the train, a minimum per passenger cancellation charge shall be deducted at the flat rate of rupees one hundred and twenty for air-conditioned first class/executive class, rupees one hundred for air-conditioned-II tier/first class, rupees ninety for air-conditioned III-tier/ 3 economy/air-conditioned chair car, rupees sixty for sleeper class and rupees thirty for second class.

(ii) if the ticket is presented for cancellation between forty eight hours and upto six hours instead of existing 24 hours and upto 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation charge shall be twenty five per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iii)  if the ticket is presented for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hours irrespective of distance instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train, the cancellation charge shall be fifty per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iv) No refund shall be granted on the reserved ticket if it is surrendered for cancellation after two hours of the actual departure of the train.

(v)  In case, on a party ticket or a family ticket issued for travel of more than one person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are on waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hours instead of existing 3 hours after actual departure of the train”.

Unused waitlisted or RAC tickets :-

• The e- ticket may be booked and cancelled through internet and the refund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s account after deducting the charges applicable.
• In case of a confirmed e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused tickets on which reservation has been made. In case of RAC e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted and RAC tickets.
• In case of  the waitlisted e-ticket on which status of all the passengers is on waiting list even after preparation of reservation charts, names of all such passengers booked on that  Passenger Name Record (PNR) shall  be dropped from the reservation chart and  refund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s account  after deducting the clerkage.
• In case on a party e-ticket or a family e-ticket issued for travel of more than one person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are on the list of RAC and waiting list, then in case of passengers on RAC or waitlisted not travelling, a certificate has to be obtained from the ticket checking staff to that effect and refund of fare shall be processed online through TDR, indicating the details of the certificate issued by ticket checking staff.
• The online TDR shall be filed upto seventy two hours of actual arrival of the train at passenger’s destination and the original certificate issued by the ticket checking staff is to be sent through post to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The fare shall be refunded by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to the customer’s account after due verification.
• In case of e-tickets (confirmed or RAC), if the reservation charts have been   prepared, online TDR is required to be filed for obtaining refund. No refund of fare shall be admissible on e- ticket having confirmed reservation in case the request for refund is filed online after two hours of the actual departure of the train.
• No refund of fare shall be admissible on RAC e-tickets in case the request for refund is filed online after three hours of the actual departure of the train.

• No refund of fare shall be admissible on confirmed Tatkal ticket.
• In case of Tatkal ticket on waitlist, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted or RAC tickets.
• In case on a party Tatkal ticket or a family Tatkal ticket issued for travel for more than one person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are on waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire Tatkal ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours before the scheduled departure of the train or upto two hours of the actual departure of the train.

• No cancellation charge or clerkage shall be levied and full fare shall be refunded to all passengers holding reserved, RAC and waitlisted tickets, if the journey is not undertaken due to late running of the train by more than three hours of the scheduled departure of the train from the station commencing the journey subject to condition that the ticket is surrendered upto the actual departure of the train instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train.
• In case of e-tickets, the TDR  is filed online before the actual departure of  the train for availing full refund.
• In case the ticket is cancelled or surrendered or if the request for refund of fare is filed  online after the actual departure of the train, no refund of fare shall be admissible.

The post The Revised Refund Rules will Effect From 01.07.2013 – Indian Railways Undertakes Comprehensive Revision of its Refund Rules appeared first on CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES NEWS.

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Railways

17-June-2013 13:06 IST

Railways to Launch Ticket Booking through Non-Internet based Mobile Phones with Effect from 1st July 2013

With an aim to further facilitate the passengers, Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC),a public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways, will be launching a pilot project of ticketing through non-internet based mobile phones with effect from 1st July 2013. This will enable people using non-internet based mobile phones to easily access Railway ticketing services through SMS/IVRS/USSD. The scheme is user-friendly, secure and also eco-friendly, as no print out is required.

Indian Railways has continuously endeavored to improve the ease and access of ticketing. The e-ticketing initiative of Indian Railways has been one of the most passenger-friendly initiatives of Indian Railways. In order to further expand the reach of ticketing, the Minister of Railways had made a Budget announcement regarding launch of ticketing through mobile phones was announced in the Railway Budget. The objective was to tap the potential of mobile phone market in India and thereby facilitate the common man, by providing him any-where any-time and hassle free booking option.

The salient features of this new scheme to be operationalised on1st July, 2013 are:

• There will be a dedicated number on which SMS can be sent.

• No need of internet at any stage viz. booking, payment, cancellation etc.

• One has to register the mobile number with IRCTC as well as one’s bank. The Bank (one time password) for authorization of payment.

• The passenger has to type the train number, destination, journey date, class and passenger details like name, age and gender on the SMS box.

• The sender will receive transaction ID and then make payment through sending another SMS by typing PAY followed by the transaction ID, MMID as received from the bank and password.

• On successful booking of ticket, message will be sent to the user by IRCTC which will suffice as valid authority to travel along with photo ID card in original.

• Cancellation of tickets can also be done through the cancellation option available.

• The scheme will be on pilot basis and will not be available during the 8 am – 12 pm for booking ARP/Tatkal/General tickets.

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