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Showing posts with label e-ticket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label e-ticket. Show all posts

Wednesday, 6 January 2021

07:48

Online Railway Tickets Booking Made Easy with Upgraded Versions of Indian Railway Website and Mobile App

Online Railway Tickets Booking Made Easy with Upgraded Versions of Indian Railway Website and Mobile App

No.500/2020-21

05-01-2021

Secunderabad

Indian Railway launches upgraded e-Ticketing Website & Mobile App for booking of online Railway Tickets

Website & App, offering “Best-in-class” features, has been launched by Hon’ble Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri. Piyush Goyal today

New Year gift to the passengers

Novel user personalization features linked to user login incorporated for the first time ever

Minister lauds the contribution of Rail Parivar in ensuring a Victories fight back against the challenges posed by Corona and making railways Future Ready. Efforts by IRCTC in the same direction

IRCTC should focus o­n Customer needs and work towards further improving the web site and ensure that is second to none in the world as per the digital India mission and vision of PM - Shri Piyush Goyal

The booking of meals, retiring rooms and hotels has been integrated and can be directly along with the tickets

Predictive entry suggestions using Artificial Intelligence to be given to the passenger

Simpler checking of the refund status at the user accounts page

Regular’ or ‘Favorite’ journeys can be booked easily by automatically entering relevant details

Train search & selection simplified by putting the information o­n o­ne page to reduce the time used by passengers and enhancing the booking experience

All information o­n o­ne page

Availability for all class are displayed along with respective fares for all trains. Simply scroll the page and choose to ‘Book’ the desired train and class

Earlier each train seat availability and fares could be seen o­nly after clicking o­n that train individually

Following the vision of ‘Digital India’ of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Indian Railways has revamped & upgraded its e-ticketing website www.irctc.co.in and IRCTC Rail Connect Mobile App, which are used for booking of Railway tickets ‘online’.

The Upgraded e-ticketing Website & App, offering “Best-in-class” features, has been launched by Hon’ble Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri. Piyush Goyal today o­n 31st December, 2020. This will be a New Year gift by the Railways to all passengers.

Speaking o­n the occasion, he said “The Railways is committed to serving the nation, and constantly working to augment its services to further improve the rail travel experience. This Upgraded e-ticketing platform for booking of o­nline Railway tickets, will enhance passenger convenience. “ He said that IRCTC should continue to work towards constantly improve the web site and ensure that is second to none in the world as per the digital India mission and vision of PM.

e-Ticketing services for booking of Indian Railway Tickets:

In 2014, the Next Generation E-ticketing (NGeT) system was launched to provide seamless e-ticketing services - higher booking loads and better user interface, through IRCTC. The upgraded e-ticketing website & App will provide the next level of services and experience to the rail users.

Customer experience has been the focus for revamping the features:

The railway customer has been focus of the design of this new world class website for booking of rail tickets. Novel user personalization features linked to user log in, have been incorporated for the first time ever, along with customizations for seamless travel experience, o­ne stop train selection for booking, and integrated booking for meals & accommodation with tickets.

Salient Features of the Upgraded website:

Ø Complete User personalization linked to the user login, such as

  •  The booking of meals, retiring rooms and hotels has been integrated and can be directly along with the tickets, thus providing a o­ne stop solution for the needs of the traveller.
  •  Predictive entry suggestions using Artificial Intelligence to be given to the passenger when he is entering the station or passenger. This will greatly reduce the hassle in searching stations and also save time in ticket booking.
  •  Simpler checking of the refund status at the user accounts page. Earlier this feature was not easily accessible.
  • ‘Regular’ or ‘Favorite’ journeys can be booked easily by automatically entering relevant details.

Ø Train search & selection simplified by putting the information o­n o­ne page to reduce the time used by passengers and enhancing the booking experience.

  •  All information o­n o­ne page – Availability for all class are displayed along with respective fares for all trains. Simply scroll the page and choose to ‘Book’ the desired train and class. Earlier each train seat availability and fares could be seen o­nly after clicking o­n that train individually.
  •  A ‘Cache system’ has been introduced in the backend to provide availability status. This will avoid delays in loading availabilities.
  •  In case waitlisted tickets, its ‘confirmation probability’ is displayed. Earlier this had to be checked for each waitlist status separately.
  • ·Availability for other dates can be toggled o­n the page itself.
  •  Prompts during the booking process for making it easy for even less computer familiar users. This will save his time in wandering o­n the website for searching the website.

Ø The journey details will be shown also at the payment page. It will prompt the user to check and rectify, if there are any typographical errors. These corrections can o­nly be corrected by visiting a PRS centre.

Ø The website has in-built features for enhancing cyber security by using appropriate captchas.

Best in Class features:

  • The Upgraded and enhanced e-ticketing website & Mobile App aims to provide best in class user experience amongst various other o­nline travel and ticketing websites.
  • The level of these features will be even more advanced than the o­nes offered currently by the other ticketing websites. In most websites, the station search entry is still alphabetical, availability status is either not there or old in time. Moreover, the convenience of integrated booking for stay & meal in this upgraded e-ticketing website is unmatched.
  • At present, this e-ticketing website of IRCTC has more than 6 Crore active users, using it to book more than 8 Lakhs tickets daily. Around 83% of the total reserved railway tickets are booked through this o­nline system.

Way ahead:

IRCTC & CRIS have been working to introduce ‘Smart Booking’ feature to book connecting trains o­n alternate routes between the pair of stations which do not have direct trains.

Railways is committed to bring out continued improvements in its e-ticketing services.

While launching the upgraded website and new app, Minister lauded the contribution of Rail Parivar in ensuring a Victories fight back against the challenges posed by Corona and making railways Future Ready. Efforts by IRCTC in the same direction.

Source:South Central Railway

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Thursday, 16 April 2020

07:55

Refund to Passengers Booked Tickets at Counters and On-line

Refund to Passengers Booked Tickets at Counters and On-line
2020/04/20
15-04-2020
Cancellation of passenger trains till 3.5.2020
Central Railway Press Release
Cancellation of passenger trains till 3.5.2020
In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of COVID-19 Lockdown, it has been decided that all passenger train services including premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger trains, Suburban Trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain cancelled till 3rd May 2020.
Freight Trains:
To ensure the essential supplies in various parts of the country, movement of goods and Parcel trains will remain continue.
Cancellation of tickets:
All ticket counters for bookings including UTS & PRS, will remain suspended till further orders. No advance reservation of trains tickets, including E tickets, till further orders, however, facility of o­nline cancellation remains functional. No booking of any type, including E tickets will be done after 3rd May till further orders.
Refund:
Full refund for reservation made for the trains cancelled.Full refund will also be there for those cancelling the advance bookings of tickets for trains not yet cancelled
As far as trains cancelled upto 3rd May 2020 is concerned, the refunds would be automatically by the Railways online to the customers while those who have booked at the counters, refund can be taken upto 31st July 2020.
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Friday, 27 March 2020

07:48

Extended Cancellation of Passenger Train Services and Closure of Ticket counters

Extended Cancellation of Passenger Train Services and Closure of Ticket counters 

Extended Cancellation of Passenger Train services and closure of ticket counters
In view of Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines on the measures to be taken by Ministries/Departments of Government of India and in continuation of measures already taken for containment of COVID-19 Epidemic in the country the following steps are taken:
1. Cancellation of all type of passenger train services, that is, all Mail/Express trains (including premium trains), passenger trains and suburban trains in Chennai region is extended upto 24:00 hours/midnight of 14th April, 2020.
2. Freight trains will be continued to run.
3. Booking of all types of tickets for journey period upto 24:00 hrs of 14th April, 2020 is suspended. This will be applicable to booking of reserved/unreserved tickets both at railway counters and online using IRCTC portal. Booking of unreserved tickets using UTSonMobile app will also remain suspended.
4. All counters for booking of Rail journey tickets both reserved/unreserved travel at railway stations and outside station premises will remain closed upto 24:00 hrs/midnight of 14 April, 2020.
5. E-ticketing facility for booking of reserved tickets for journey period after 24:00 hrs of 14th April 2020 will be available online.


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Saturday, 26 October 2019

21:14

Suspicious E-Tickets Blocked by Vigilance Team

Suspicious E-Tickets Blocked by Vigilance Team
282 SUSPCIOUS E - TICKETS OF TRAIN NO. 22956 BHUJ – BANDRA (T) KUTCH EXP. AMOUNTING TO RS. 7.19 LAKHS BLOCKED BY VIGILANCE TEAM
W. Rly’s Vigilance team o­n scrutiny of certain suspicious booking transactions in PRS system detected that the E – Tickets booked in train No. 22956 Bhuj – Bandra Terminus Kutch Express were booked using the same name of passengers o­n different days of Diwali holidays. It is also suspected that the tickets were booked by unauthorized tickets agents using dubious software.
According to a press release issued by Shri Ravinder Bhakar – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, the Vigilance team of W. Rly consisting of Shri Himanshu Kapadiya – Chief Vigilance Inspector, Shri Shaikh Mohd. Zuber – Vigilance Inspector alongwith with Shri Niraj Mehta – Dy. CTI/ADI and Shri Saji Phillip - Dy. CTI/CCM Squad detected that E-Tickets were booked in train no. 22956 – BHUJ – BDTS Kutch express o­n same name group and in same train o­n different days of Diwali holidays for the dates ranging from 1st to 13th November, 2019. Accordingly, 282 suspicious PNRs consisting of 1692 passengers and tickets amounting to Rs. 7,19,100/- were blocked by the vigilance team in PRS system.
Passengers holding E-Tickets in Train No. 22956 BHUJ-BDTS Kutch Express for the above mentioned dates are requested to check the status of their tickets and if found blocked, then they are requested to contact the Chief Reservation Supervisors of Gandhidham, Ahmedabad and Mumbai Central station during office hours and submit their proof of identity. Tickets of genuine passengers will be released and unblocked after verification with original ID and submitting photocopy at PRS office Gandhidham, Ahmedabad and Mumbai Central.

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Thursday, 8 February 2018

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Saturday, 21 January 2017

07:23

New Facilities In E-Ticket

New Facilities In E-Ticket

AMENDMENT IN E-TICKET SCHEME :-
The accommodation booked is not transferable and is valid only if one of the passenger booked on an e-ticket in a transaction presents any of the identity cards (Voter identity card/Passport/ Pan card/Driving license/Photo I/d card of Central/State Government/Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their students/Nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph/Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph.) during train journey in original and same will be accepted as proof of identity failing which the passengers will be treated as travelling without ticket and shall be dealt with as per extant Railway Rules. 
Tatkal Quota Tickets:
On and from 21-11-2011, Tatkal e-ticket can be booked one day in advance excluding the date of journey from the train originating station and the provision for specifying ID proof at the time of booking a Tatkal e-ticket has been started. The passenger(s) will be required to enter ID proof type and number at the time of booking, which is to be used for travel. These details shall be printed on ERS/VRM as well as in the reservation chart. At least one passenger whose identity card number is indicated on e-ticket should travel. If none of the passengers whose identity card number is indicated on e-ticket is travelling, all other passengers booked on that e-ticket, if found travelling in train, will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly. 
No refund will be granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal e-tickets. 
General Quota E-tickets:
There is no provision for specifying ID proof at the time of booking a general quota e-ticket.
Change of boarding station & change in name of E-Ticket passenger :-
For getting these facilities, customer can now approach the nearest Railway Reservation Office with ‘Electronic Reservation Slip’ print out and photo identity proof in original of one of the passenger traveling in the ticket at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure of train as per extant Railway rules.
Please note that reservation offices can change ‘Boarding Station’ & ‘Passenger Name’ against a request from the passenger as per extant railway rules applicable to other face to face counter booked tickets .
Facility in the name change of passenger holding confirmed e-reservation has been permitted as per extant Railway rules noted as under:-
a. Where the passenger makes a request in writing 24 hours before the scheduled departure of train to the nearest Railway Reservation office. It can be transferred to an-other member of his family, meaning, Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, Son, Daughter, Husband and Wife. He should bring the ‘Electronic Reservation Slip’ print out along with photo identity card proof in original & a proof for blood relation desired to be changed . 

b. Where the passenger is a Government Servant proceeding on duty and appropriate authority, makes a request in writing 24 hours before the scheduled departure of train.

Such request will be granted once only.

 Source:IRCTC
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Friday, 11 December 2015

08:27

Train No. 12149 Pune - Patliputra Express Via Diverted Route -Bookings open from 11.12.2015


2015/12/20
09-12-2015

Train No. 12149 Pune - Patliputra Express Via Diverted Route -Bookings open from 11.12.2015

12149 PUNE-PATLIPUTRA VIA DIVERTED ROUTE- BOOKINGS OPEN FROM 11.12.2015

Bookings for Train No. 12149 / 12150 Pune - Patliputra Express Via Diverted route from 1.4.2016 i.e. Via Mughalsarai - Chheoki - Manikpur with stoppage at Chheoki (avoiding Allahabad) will open at all PRS Location and through internet with effect from 11.12.2015. 
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Thursday, 3 December 2015

09:22

Indian Railways Launched New Refund Facility for Train Ticket Cancellation

Indian Railways Launched New Refund Facility for Train Ticket Cancellation

Train Ticket Cancellation: New Refund Facility Launched

New Delhi: Indian railway stations will allow cancellation and refund of reserved tickets at an additional counter which was until now dispensing only unreserved tickets, an official statement said.

In a bid to usher in passenger friendly measures, the railways ministry has decided to convert one Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) counter, where only unreserved tickets are sold, into a UTS cum Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter, where only reserved tickets are sold.

However, the cancellation and refund facility will be extended only to those tickets which were booked at the PRS counter, ruling out the facility for tickets booked through other modes like online and apps.

"Cancellation and refund of PRs (passenger reservation) counter tickets shall be made across the earmarked UTS cum PRS counter (only for refund of PRS counter tickets) beyond the working hours of existing PRS counters or current counters as per refund rules," said the statement.

Source :NDTV
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Wednesday, 18 November 2015

07:40

Ticket Booking for the available accommodation in the train for full/partial leg of the journey, in case there is no RAC/waitlist

2015/11
17-11-2015
Mumbai
Ticket Booking for the available accommodation in the train for full/partial leg of the journey, in case there is no RAC/waitlist

CHARTING OF TRAINS TO BE DONE TWICE FROM 18/11/2015 TO BENEFIT RAILWAY PASSENGERS WITH ADDITIONAL BOOKING FACILITIES

No.2015/11                                                                             Mumbai, 17th November, 2015

CHARTING OF TRAINS TO BE DONE TWICE FROM 18/11/2015 TO BENEFIT RAILWAY PASSENGERS WITH ADDITIONAL BOOKING FACILITIES


THE BOOKING OF RESERVED TICKETS on PRS COUNTERS AS WELL AS on INTERNET (E-TICKET) BECOMES AVAILABLE EVEN AFTER THE PREPARATION OF RESERVATION CHART

 In a significant move to provide additional booking facilities, Ministry of Railways has undertaken an exercise of rationalisation of Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) with a view to enable passengers to buy tickets even after the preparation of reservation charts. These new provisions will come into effect from 18th November, 2015.

Due to this, sufficient time gap will be provided to passengers between preparation of charts and departure of train so that they can plan journeys properly.

The following are the advantages of rationalisation of Computerised Passenger Reservation System :-

a)Reservation charts will invariably be made at least 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train w.e.f. 18th November, 2015. This will facilitate passengers to know the status of the ticket to plan their journey well in time (this may be referred as the first reservation chart).

b)Immediately after preparation of first reservation charts, the reservation will again become open at the PRS counters as well as o­n internet (e-ticket) and the passengers can :-

·Book the available accommodation in the train for full/partial leg of the journey, in case there is no RAC/waitlist for that leg.

·In case of passengers holding RAC/ waiting list ticket, the passengers will be given facility to cancel the ticket upto 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of train.

c)A second (and final) chart of reservations will be made available before departure of train and handed over to on board ticket checking staff. This exercise will ensure optimum utilisation of train accommodation by the passengers and also result in enhanced railway earnings.

This will also facilitate implementation of recently introduced revised refund rules under which passengers can get refund on cancellation of confirmed tickets upto 4 hours before scheduled departure of trains. RAC & waitlisted tickets can be cancelled upto 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of train.

Under the above mentioned rationalisation, the passengers can book/cancel/modify the tickets even after the preparation of first reservation chart but upto 30 minutes before the departure of train across any PRS counters as well as o­n internet (e-ticket) as per extant provision of Refund Rules.
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Saturday, 31 October 2015

22:29

Salient Features of the scheme ATAS - VIKALP to be introduced from Tomorrow on Pilot Basis.

Salient Features of the scheme ATAS - VIKALP to be introduced from Tomorrow on Pilot Basis.

Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme (ATAS) called “VIKALP” to be Introduced from Tomorrow i.e. 1.11.2015 on Pilot Basis 

A Major Passenger Friendly move to Provide Confirmed Accommodation to Waitlisted Passengers in Alternate Trains 

Facility to be Available Initially for E-Ticket (Internet Booking) Only

The Scheme to be Available Initially on Mail/ Express Trains of Two Sectors Namely Delhi –Lucknow and Delhi –Jammu   

Later, The Scheme to be Extended to PRS Counter Bookings as well as on Other Journey Sectors  

· With a view to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and also to ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation, a scheme Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme(ATAS) called “VIKALP” has been conceptualised and is to be introduced from tomorrow i.e. 1.11.2015.  Initially this scheme will be available only for the tickets booked through internet (E-ticket) as a pilot project for six months. More over initially this scheme would be provided on Mail/ Express Trains running on two sectors only namely Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu sectors of Northern Railway. In this scheme, wait listed passengers of a train will be given option for getting confirmed accommodation in alternate trains. Based on the feedback, this scheme will be extended to PRS counter bookings and also on other journey sectors. This is a major passenger friendly move to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers in alternate trains.

Salient Features of the scheme 
  • The Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme (ATAS) is presently being launched under the name “Vikalp” on pilot basis only for the tickets booked through internet (E-ticket) on two sectors i.e. Delhi-Jammu and Delhi-Lucknow sectors. Based on the feedback it will be extended on PRS as well as  on other sectors.
  • The scheme is presently being implemented only across Mail/Express trains of same category.
  •  No extra charges shall be taken from passenger or any refund shall be provided for difference of fare.
  • The scheme is applicable to all waiting list passengers irrespective of booking quota and concession. In pilot phase the scheme will be available on few pre-designated trains in the above sectors only.
  • Under this scheme, waiting list passengers will give choice to opt for ATAS scheme.
  • ATAS opted passengers who remain fully waitlisted after charting will only be considered for allotment in the alternate train.
  • Fully WL passengers opted for ATAS should check PNR status after charting.
  •  Either all passengers of a PNR or none will be transferred to alternate train in same class.  The passenger can be considered for shifting to a train leaving from any station amongst the cluster of stations defined by Railways based on the convenience of the passengers to a station serving the destination station on the same analogy.
  • The ATAS opted passengers who have been provided accommodation in the alternate train will not figure in the waitlisted charts of their original train. A separate list of passengers transferred in alternate train will be pasted along with the CONFIRMED and WAITLIST charts.
  • The passenger allotted alternate accommodation can travel in the alternate train on authority of original ticket.
  • Waitlisted passengers of original train shall not be allowed to board the original train if allotted alternate accommodation. If found travelling, they will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly.
  • Passengers once provided alternate accommodation in alternate train will be treated as normal passengers in alternate train and will be eligible for upgradation.
  • In rare situations, passengers who have been provided alternate accommodation might get dropped/re-allotted in alternate train due to last minute change in composition of the alternate train at the time of chart preparation. So, passengers who have been provided alternate accommodation should check PNR status also after preparation of charts of the alternate train for final status.   
  • This information will be available on Call Centre (139), PRS Enquiry Counters, Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminals installed at stations and WEB ENQUIRY on www.indianrail.gov.in.
  • Passenger will also get SMS alert on their Registered mobile phone number about getting confirmed alternate accommodation.
  • When an ATAS opted passenger opts to cancel, after he/she has been given an alternate accommodation, he/she will be treated as a CONFIRMED passenger and the cancellation rules will apply accordingly.
  • No refund for difference of fare between the original train and the alternate train, including Tatkal charges, if any, will be given to re-allocated passengers.
  • Once an ATAS passenger has been allotted alternate accommodation, journey modification will not be permitted. If required, the passenger will have to cancel the ticket and book a fresh ticket for modified journey.
  • When a passenger who has been allotted alternate accommodation has not performed his journey in the alternate train, he can claim for refunds by filing a TDR request.   

IMPORTANT PASSENGER INFORMATION

1.Opting for VIKALP does not mean that confirmed berth will be provided to passengers in alternate train. It is subject to train and berth availability.
2.Once confirmed in Alternate train, Cancellation charges will be as per your berth/train status in alternate train.
3.In this scheme, your boarding and terminating station might change to nearby cluster stations.
4.You can be transferred to any alternate train available within 12 hrs from the scheduled departure of original train, in which you have booked
5.Please check PNR status after charting.

Source :PIBNEWS.
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Tuesday, 25 August 2015

22:23

Railways alternate e-Ticket Portal to IRCTC a hit among Railway passengers

Railways alternate e-Ticket Portal to IRCTC a hit among Railway passengers

New Delhi: The railway portal www.indianrail.gov.in is evoking good response from passengers for booking e-tickets in a hassle-free manner across the country. Bihar is one of the leading states where a large number of people are using this portal. Railways had made this portal as an alternative portal to access Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) site to book tickets online.

According to a Railway Board official, this facility is not meant for travel agents. It is exclusively for individual users. The users are required to register themselves for using the railway site, he said. Railways has also introduced facilities like booking retiring rooms, taxi, wheelchairs and cloak room through this site in advance.

The Board official said railways introduced this portal following frequent complaints about non-availability of the IRCTC site during peak time. He said the alleged malpractices and irregularities in issuing e-tickets to people on the IRCTC portal have been completely checked to maintain transparency in e-ticket booking. According to a recent survey, the new site has been able to facilitate people access the IRCTC site, the Board official. Railways is keen to provide multiple choices to passengers to book their journey tickets in advance or just before their journey. The Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS) has been providing assistance to railways to make online ticket booking system easy and foolproof on its own portal, sources said.

Railways has, of late, banned several e-ticketing agents at the country level to check misuse of the IRCTC site. To redress passenger grievances fast, railways has launched a separate cell at the Board level to register complaints about poor quality of meals or any other complaints related to passengers’ journey, sources said.
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Sunday, 9 August 2015

16:34

Suvidha Trains with Dynamic Fares with effect from July 1st 2015

Implementation of Dynamic Fare System 

The aim and objective of introducing trains with dynamic fares is to provide rail-users the facility of travelling at short notice by paying higher fares during specific periods when there is heavy rush. 

The travelers have the option of travelling in regular Mail/Express and passenger trains by paying the normal fare. Indian Railways caters to various segments of the travelling public and accordingly operate different types of services like suburban services, passenger services and Mail/Express services, which include Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Yuva and Garib Rath services etc. Running of Suvidha Trains (earlier, premium trains) during peak seasons do not displace these regular services but complement them by providing a facility for travel at short notice by paying higher fares. 

With effect from 01.07.2015, Suvidha trains (in place of Premium trains) have been introduced for meeting demand peaks as do arise from time to time during summer, winter, festivals and on other occasions. The features of Suvidha Trains include facility to book tickets at Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters as well as through internet, rationalized fare structure, provision for refund as permissible on cancellation of ticket etc. Minimum fare of Suvidha trains is equal to tatkal fare applicable for the class of accommodation for initial 20% of the berths and thereafter the fare increases for subsequent slabs of 20% of seats/berths booked subject to maximum of three times of Tatkal fare. Other applicable supplementary charges like reservation charge, superfast charge, service tax etc. are levied separately.

The service has been provided with a view to supplement facilities regularly available to passengers through a mechanism that caters to the requirement for that segment of passengers which is willing to travel at short notice by paying higher fare. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha . 

Source: PIBNEWS.
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Tuesday, 21 July 2015

16:53

Automatic Refund of Confirmed/ Rac e-tickets on Cancellation of Trains Becomes Effective

Automatic Refund of Confirmed/ Rac e-tickets on Cancellation of Trains Becomes Effective

Ministry of Railways have decided to grant automatic refund of Confirmed/RAC e-tickets on cancellation of trains similar to waitlisted e-tickets. There shall not be any requirement for cancellation/filing of TDR for refund of e-tickets in case of cancellation of trains. This has become effective with effect from July 13, 2015.

However, in case of cancellation of trains, PRS counter ticket shall continue to be refunded across the reservation counter as per the existing provisions.

Source :PIBNEWS.
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07:58

Consultant to aid Western Railway RPF in checking e-ticket fraud

Consultant to aid Western Railway RPF in checking e-ticket fraud

Mumbai: The Western Railways unit of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has hired a consultant who can give specific tip-offs on e-ticketing fraud.

“The aim of hiring a consultant is to monitor the activities of ticketing agents without arousing suspicion. The consultant coordinates with our teams and keeps looking for areas where the activity is high and helps us zero in on malpractices,” said a senior official of the security agency.

The latest arrest made by the RPF in this regard is of 38-year-old Vishnukant Mishra from a cyber cafe in Kandivali East. Mishra had a history of booking 14 e-tickets worth Rs 35283. Mishra used to charge Rs 50 as his commission for booking each e-ticket. A raid was conducted on Mishra’s house in the same neighbourhood and several visiting cards of a travel agency were found.

The RPF has also recently cracked the whip on authorised agents who breach regulations and create personal log-ins for booking e-tickets. Investigators have been writing to the IRCTC to cancel the registration of such agents and blacklist them.

“There are regulations in place for authorised agents to function. For instance, they can only start booking tickets online after a gap of two hours from the opening time accorded to the public. This means, where reservation starts at 8am for regular buyers, agents can only book 10am onwards. Similarly for tatkal tickets, agents can start booking only after 12 noon. Some agents, however, create personal log-ins and start booking at the same time as the public,” said the official. “Everytime an authorised agent is arrested, we mail the IRCTC to cancel his registration, penalise him more than is prescribed in the Railway Act (over Rs.20000) and blacklist him so that he loses business. We want to warn passengers against approaching such agents and are appealing that a warning be printed on tickets which could make conniving passengers liable for prosecution,” he added.

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Friday, 17 July 2015

10:22

Indian Railways to allow Tatkal Train Tickets booking without ID Proof soon

Indian Railways to allow Tatkal Train Tickets booking without ID Proof soon

Chennai (MAS): Soon, passengers need not worry about providing their identity proof while booking tatkal train tickets, be it in the online or offline mode.

Instead, they can carry any one of the 10 prescribed proofs of identity, which include the passbook  with photograph of a nationalised bank or a bank credit card with photograph, during the travel, a Railway Board circular dated July 14, says.

The new rule would bring a huge relief to a large number of passengers who are desperate to buy tickets a day ahead of travel. Currently, those making their way to the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters at 10 am to procure paper tatkal tickets have to submit photocopies of their identity card. Those who are booking the tickets online need to key in the ID card details. All these details will be printed on the reservation chart pasted on the train coach. In addition, the passengers need to furnish the same ID card to the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE). In case a different ID is shown, the TTE can slap fine on them for travelling without a valid ticket.

“There have been many instances when I’ve entered my driving licence details while booking the e-ticket, but during the journey I was carrying my PAN card and I was fined by the TTE. When I argued that the traveller’s details were same and only the ID card was different, he didn’t relent,” said S Karthik, a 27-year-old IT professional from Bangalore, who travels to Chennai regularly.

Others were relieved that their PAN card and passport details would not be printed on the reservation charts pasted on coaches. “In the time of internet and telephone frauds, it’s not safe for such details to be publicly available on the railway coaches where anyone can access them,” says 40-year-old home-maker G Pavithra.

The Railway Board circular has directed the Indian Railways IT wing, Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), to make the requisite changes in the software by September 1, after which the new rule is likely to come into effect.
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Tuesday, 14 July 2015

07:20

AUTOMATIC REFUND OF CONFIRMED / RAC E – TICKETS ON CANCELLATION OF TRAINS

2015/07
13-07-2015
Mumbai

AUTOMATIC REFUND OF CONFIRMED / RAC E – TICKETS ON CANCELLATION OF TRAINS.

With a view to reduce the hassles involved in refund of confirmed/ RAC e tickets o­n account of cancellation of trains, Railways have introduced the concept of automatic refund of confirmed/RAC e-tickets on cancellation of trains similar to in case of waitlisted e-tickets. Therefore, the passenger shall not be required for cancellation/ filling of TDR for refund of e-ticket, in case of cancellation of trains.

However, PRS counter ticket shall continue to be refunded across the reservation counter as per the existing provisions.
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Monday, 13 July 2015

06:54

IRCTC to expand its Portfolio of Services: A.K.Manocha, CMD/IRCTC in an Interview

IRCTC to expand its Portfolio of Services: A.K.Manocha, CMD/IRCTC in an Interview

New Delhi: With railway ticket reservations booking extended from 60 days to 120 days from the date of journey, AK Manocha, Chairman and Managing Director, IRCTC hauls up his systems with imported technology and increase efficiency. In an interview, he discussed plans of improving fine dining on board. Excerpts.

What are you doing to improve the quality of service for e-ticketing operations that is slow and inundated with customer complaints? 

According to the telecom  industry data, at least 18 per cent of the total population now uses internet in India. Around 100 crore of the total population has Smartphones that are fast gaining pace in everyone’s life, the earlier servers were not able to cope with the data. Now, we have installed five high-capacity servers, imported from Singapore, to speed up our e-ticketing operations. The operationalisation of five new high-speed servers will substantially enhance the website’s performance. Also, the entire procedure of e-ticketing will get a facelift with improvement in efficiency of the log-in time and payment gateway. The number of concurrent users is expected to go up from the existing 1,80,000 to 3,00,000 and the existing capacity to book around 15,000 tickets per minute will go up considerably.

There were some speculations regarding IRCTC wanting to enter the hotel business. What are the plans and the investment size?

Our idea to get into the fine dining restaurant business is still at a nascent stage.  We are discussing the concept with the ministry and hotel industry players.

Tell us about your catering business to corporate houses and revenues you are generating at present?

We are not getting enough revenues for this segment of our business. We are currently incuring losses. Earlier, we were supplying to seven corporates, recently we have stopped our contract with HCL since there were pricing issues. At Rs 80 per meal, we were not making any profits since requirements were also limited. Overall, the prices of vegetables and other commodities went up significantly but we were not able to increase price. However, we have received a good response for our e-catering service and we plan to expand to 1500 trains from around 400 at present. We are also working out ways to expand the service to Shatabdi trains.

What are net revenues and PAT for the fiscal year ended 2014-15?

Our revenues for 2014-15 period are Rs 1,050 crore and PAT is Rs 150 crore. This year, our revenues will be higher. We are in the process of setting up 5,000 water vending machines across 1,200 railway stations in the country. Passengers will able to buy fresh and unadulterated water for Rs 5 a litre, Rs 3 for half a litre and Rs 1 per glass. Passengers can buy water through cash, coins and smart cards. At present, we don’t need funds for expansion but many banks and financial institutions are ready to help us with funding.

Tell us about your proposed tie-up with Dominos Pizza to provide pizzas on board?

Consumers will be able to order pizzas that will be delivered to the trains on the next station. This requires a robust backend operation channel that will get access to various train routes. There are some issues regarding sharing of commission, marketing and advertising the scheme. These should be resolved soon.
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Sunday, 12 July 2015

19:27

To avoid fraudulent transactions - IRCTC asks 26 banks to put OTP systems in place

To avoid fraudulent transactions -IRCTC asks 26 banks to put OTP systems in place 

NEW DELHI, JULY 10:  
Concerned over people not getting One Time Passwords (OTP) from several banks while booking train tickets on its portal, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has proposed that banks should take corrective action by August 15 to ensure smooth e-ticket transactions.

IRCTC has tied up with 50 banks for payments for e-ticket transactions, but only 24 of these banks have an OTP system, while the remaining 26 are yet to introduce it.

“We recently held a meeting with the officials of these banks to discuss the issue. We have now set August 15 as the deadline for the banks to issue OTPs to passengers who book tickets on our portal,” said IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director AK Manocha.

IRCTC, a ‘mini Ratna’ PSU of the Indian Railways, has been receiving complaints not only from customers but also from the Crime Branch regarding fraudulent transactions carried out on its digital portal.

All such banks which are yet to provide a hassle-free OTP system, have been intimated by e-mails and letters to take corrective measures before the expiry of the deadline, he added.

M. Srinivas MS, Addl GM (Software), IRCTC, said the e-ticketing portal has arrangements for transactions with 50 banks — 28 for Net banking, six for Payment Gateways (PGs), 10 for Debit Card and for for Cash Card, while one each is EMI-based and an IRCTC Prepaid Card. All the banks collect service charges for e-ticket transactions.

“Most of the banks/PGs/Cash Cards/EMI-based cards have the OTP facility for online transactions. Hence, it is imperative for them to implement it for all IRCTC transactions, including e-ticketing and online shopping,” he said, adding: “To avoid fraudulent transactions, we need to implement OTP for all transactions on our website. There should be a uniform policy.”

“This also makes a strong case for banks to introduce the OTP system at the earliest,” he said, adding: “This is also in consonance with the RBI guidelines.”

“The universal application of OTP is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the IRCTC’s Passenger Reservation System (PRS). On the other hand, touting activities such as cornering of e-tickets and use of automated tools for booking e-tickets will be restricted,” he said.

 Source :The Hindu-Business Line
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Tuesday, 30 June 2015

23:57

Automatic Refund of Confirmed/ RAC E-Tickets on Cancellation of Trains


Automatic Refund of Confirmed/ RAC E-Tickets on Cancellation of Trains

Ministry of Railways have decided to grant automatic refund of Confirmed/RAC e-tickets on cancellation of trains similar to waitlisted e-tickets. There shall not be any requirement for cancellation/filing of TDR for refund of e-tickets in case of cancellation of trains. This will become effective very shortly.

In case of cancellation of trains, PRS counter ticket shall continue to be refunded across the reservation counter as per the existing provisions.

Source: PIB News
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Friday, 15 May 2015

07:53

Western Railway busted anti tout squad at Sachin

2015/05/PR
14-05-2015
Mumbai

Western Railway busted anti tout squad at Sachin

Unauthorized e- ticket Racket Busted  by Western Railway

Mumbai Division’s  Anti Tout Squad

          A check by Anti Touting Squad of Mumbai division was  conducted at Mastermind School at L/950 Slum colony, Sachin Surat recently.  During the course of check Shri Narshinhramulu Somaiah Dasari  introduced himself as the trustee and Principal of the school. His son Shri Suraj N.Dasari was also present.  During check Shri  Narshinhramulu Somaiah Dasari  accepted that he along with his son Shri Suraj N. Dasari  was   generating e- tickets o­n personal id & selling them o­n high premium. He also accepted that most of the e tickets generated by him were o­n bogus names. To make the tickets genuine he used to take  photos of the persons approaching him for the tickets and make fake voter ID for them.  The tickets were then sold o­n a premium of Rs. 300 to Rs.500. He further stated that he was in this business since the last two years.

       During the check police found 182   e- tickets  generated o­n personal id for 860 passengers  of value Rs. 5,69,113/-, 17 Journey cum Reservation Tickets, Thirty fake voter ID cards, Twelve rubber stamps, Four mobile phones, TWO CPU’s, four diaries, 3 volt motherboard battery for cutting the hologram round, 130 passport size photographs of the persons for whom the ID was to be prepared and a  printer. A case has been registered against both the accused at Sachin police station under section 143 of Railways Act vide CR no. 36/15 .
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