Indian Railway Booking
Bookings for the Indian railway have smoothened out so well that anyone can book a ticket easily for long or short distance traveling. For short distances the price of the railway ticket is mentioned on each of the ticket counters known as windows. So one can exact change when he or she has to purchase the ticket.
For long distance travel a hand booklet of the ticket prices and the destinations are available. Else one can always inquire from the season ticket window. Rail passes are available for short distance travel so that one does not have to bother standing in the ticket queue for a long time. There are monthly and quarterly passes available which when totalled sum up lesser than what you would pay, every time to purchase a ticket. Hence inducing the commuter to book a pass for a longer period of time.
There are ticket ATMs and Smart Cards available to smoothen out the queue processes. But for long distance travel, you have to stand in the season window to purchase a ticket. A person can book up to 6 reservations and the same will replicate on the ticket for people traveling between the same destinations.
Tourists can avail of the Indrail pass that allows them to commute anywhere in India by railways. This is for the convenience of the tourist. Bending the rules, the railways have been considerate for Senior Citizens who get a 30% discount on their reserved tickets. They even get a discount on the short distances in a city. The same is carried for students, disabled and High-ranking government officials.
Reserved tickets can be cancelled at the last minute if the person faces some kind of an emergency. A refund is given to the commuters according to the date of cancellation and the date of travel unlike other transportations like airlines where the entire amount in non-refundable.
If you have an emergency and need a ticket on a packed train, then you get on the waiting list or through Tatkal service. Once there is a cancellation, you can board the train. For unreserved tickets, the general compartment is also a boon, where there is a separate ladies and gent’s compartment.
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