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Trains and Tickets
Classes
The Indian Railways have 8 Classes of accommodation available. They are as under:- Ist Class AC Sleeper Car, AC 2 Tier Sleeper Car, AC 3 Tier Sleeper Car, AC Chair Car, First Class Ordinary, Sleeper Class Ordinary, Chair Car Ordinary, Executive Chair Car and General Class Ordinary.
Reservation System
The Computerised reservation system of the Indian Railways today covers 92% of the reservation requirement in IR. The Computerised system is available at 270 + locations across the country including places such as Srinagar, Port Blair, Shillong and Panjim which do not have a direct rail link. The facility is available at multiple locations in all metros and most big towns. Master and Visa Credit are accepted in most locations.
Reservations Fees
Reservation fee is payable on reserved ticket @ Rs. 30/- for AC 1st class, Rs. 20/- for AC 2 Tier Sleeper/AC3 Tier Sleeper/ First Class/AC Chair Car and Rs 15/- for Sleeper Class and Rs 10/- for Second Class Ordinary. However do check with your local travel agent for the latest reservation fees.
Superfast Surcharge
Trains starting with the numbers 2*** are classified as Super fast trains on the Indian Railways. A supplementary surcharge or Rs. 5/- on Second Class, Rs. 10 on Sleeper Class, Rs. 15/- on First Class AC, 2 Tier Sleeper AC, 3 Tier Sleeper AC, Chair Car and Rs 25/- on AC First Class tickets.
Refund Rules
If an unused ticket without reservation is presented upto 3 hours after the departure of the train, full fare after deducting Rs. 10/- per passenger, will be refunded. Tickets with reservation can be presented before departure and upto a certain time after the departure of the train for refund. The scale of deduction is different for the different classes of reserved tickets.
No cancellation charges shall be levied on RAC/wait-listed tickets unless confirmed reservation has been provided at any time upto the final preparation of the reservation charts. Clerkage of Rs. 10/- per passenger will, however be payable.
Lost Tickets
No claim for refund is entertained in the case of lost or misplaced or torn tickets. However, if you have lost a reserved ticket, the Railway may, at its discretion permit you to travel on the same reservation on payment of certain charges.
Indrail Passes
To provide an easy and comfortable journey to foreign tourists, the Indian Railways have introduced the facility of Indrail Passes for point to point travel without route or train restrictions including Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains within the period of validity. Indrail Passes are sold only to foreign nationals and Indians residing abroad holding valid passports against payment in US$ or Pound Sterling. A tourist travelling on an Indrail Pass is exempted from any other charges whatsoever.
Catering Services
Railway owned and privately run catering facilities are now available at 3,152 stations and over 133 pairs of trains across the country. At most big stations and terminii, Veg and Non Veg refreshment rooms are available and some of them have a self service system too. Mineral water in bottles and aerated drinks are available at almost all the big stations across India. Food & Beverage costs are included in all Shatabdi fares and most Rajdhani fares.
Bed Rolls
Travel bags, more popularly known as Bed Rolls, can be hired for overnight journeys in AC 1st Class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier and First Class ordinary. The cost of a bed roll is Rs 20/-. On Rajdhani Express trains bed rolls are provided free of cost in all classes except AC chair car. Some other superfast trains also provide bed rolls free of cost on 1st AC and AC 2-Tier. Bed Rolls have to be paid for on all non superfast trains for all classes they are available for. For some trains, bed rolls have to be booked in advance at the time of booking your ticket. On most trains it is possible to board the train and request the attendant of the coach to provide you with one. However it is advisable to check on availability before hand.
Cloak Rooms
All major stations and terminii have 'cloakrooms' where passengers may leave luggage for up to a month. The charge starts from Rs 5 or more per 24 hours for the first two days and then increases in day stages according to the total time of deposit. There are also safe deposit lockers at some stations. There are regulations about the weight of luggage that can be stored in the cloak rooms/lockers. It is advisable to lock and secure your luggage before leaving them in these cloak rooms/lockers.
Retiring Rooms
Railway retiring rooms are available at most major junctions and stations, especially tourist centres. Retiring rooms provide cheap accommodation to tourists. The accommodation ranges from AC rooms, Non Ac rooms, and dormitories, single bed/double bed rooms and so on. The rates for each differ but are heavily subsidised. Most retiring rooms provide attached baths and toilets. Apart from these, most stations have waiting rooms for passengers waiting for a train or staying overnight.
Shatabdi and Rajdhani
The Indian Railways started high speed inter city services in the form of Rajdhanis and Shatabdis some years back and today these trains provide a fast, comfortable connection between the capital and most major cities. These trains are fully air-conditioned and most provide free food and beverages to all the passengers. The Shatabdis are day trains and carry chair car accommodation only in the form of AC Chair Car Ordinary and Executive Class. The Rajdhanis are overnight trains carrying AC Sleeper Cars in the form of 1st Class AC, AC 2-Tier Sleeper and AC 3-Tier Sleeper.
The following is the listing for these trains:-
Shatabdis
2001/02 New Delhi-Bhopal Daily ACCH,EX
2003/2004 New Delhi- Lucknow Daily ACCH,EX
2005/2006 New Delhi- Kalka Daily ACCH,EX
2007/2008 Madras-Mysore Except Tue ACCH,EX
2009/2010 Bombay-Ahmedabad Except Fri ACCH,EX
2011/2012 New Delhi-Chandigarh Daily ACCH,EX
2013/2014 New Delhi-Amritsar Daily ACCH,EX
2015/2016 New Delhi-Ajmer Except Sun ACCH,EX
2017/2018 New Delhi- Dehradun Except Thu ACCH,EX
2019/2020 Howrah-Bokaro Except Sun ACCH,EX
2021/2022 Howrah-Rourkela Except Sat ACCH,EX
2023/2024 Madras-Coimbatore Except Wed ACCH,EX
2027/2028 Bombay-Pune Frequency Daily ACCH,EX
Rajdhanis
2421/22 New Delhi-Bhubhaneshwar 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2423/24 New Delhi-Guwahati 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2425/26 Nizzamudin-Jammu Tawi 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2427/28 New Delhi-Ahmedabad 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2429/30 Nizzamudin-Banglore 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2431/32 Nizzamudin-Trivandrum 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2633/34 Madras-Nizzamudin 1,AC,2AC,3AC,ACCH
2951/52 Bomabay-New Delhi 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2953/54 Bomabay-Nizzamudin 1,AC,2AC,3AC,ACCH
2301/02 Howrah-New Delhi (via Gaya) 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2305/06 Howrah-New Delhi (via Patna) 1,AC,2AC,3AC
2309/10 Patna-New Delhi 1,AC,2AC,3AC
Key To Classes
ACCH = Air-conditioned Chair Car
EX= Air-conditioned Executive Class Chair Car
1AC = Air-conditioned Frist Class Sleeper Car
2AC=Air-conditioned 2-Tier Sleeper Car
3AC=Air-conditioned 3-Tier Sleeper Car
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