Traveling through railways has been the most appealing and affordable form of transportation in India. It is the most convenient way in terms of cost, time, and comfort.
To travel via Indian Railways, you have to book the tickets beforehand. This can be done through specialized Indian Railway Reservation counters, which are located around the city. Reservations are performed by filling out the Indian Railway Reservation Form. This is the most comprehensive method used to book travel tickets.
These are available at the counters free of cost. One has to fill the form with the appropriate information and submit it to the booking officer present at the counter. The same setup can be used to cancel the booked tickets booked through the reservation counter. The forms are also available online and can be downloaded easily.
How to Fill out the Railway Reservation Form
With the purpose of how to fill the Indian Railway Reservation form, you have to provide the following details :
- If you are a doctor, check a box. This is useful in case of any emergency. Being a responsible citizen, one should check the same. This enables the authorities to search for the doctor for any urgent situation.
- There is a concession available for the senior citizens of the country. You need to check the box if you are so. This discount can be availed directly during the tickets’ booking on providing proper age proof, like, Voter ID, Aadhar Card, Passport, etc. If such a document cannot be produced, a penal charge under Railway Rules will be indicted in the journey. Do not check this if it is not applicable.
- The next box asks whether you need to upgrade without any extra charges. This scheme was introduced by the Indian Railways to utilize the available accommodations. This upgrades a waiting list passenger who has made the full fare payment to the next higher class. This does not charge any extra fee provided there are accommodations in other lower types.
- The following details to be filled out are the Train No. and Name you chose to travel, the date of the journey, the class, and the number of berths/seats you decided on.
- Next up, you have to fill in the Station name and the Station, which signifies the Station you tend to train from and the Station you reach. It would help if you filled in the boarding station and to which Station you want the reservation. Generally, people who book reserved railway tickets from the Indian Railway Reservation counter retain the seat/s throughout the journey.
- Next, you have to fill in your details. The Name should be written in block letters, sex, age, concession/travel authority no. (if available) and choices like lower or upper berths or the meal types provided: veg/non-veg for Shatabdi/Rajdhani/Express trains only.
- Fill out your Name and the people you are traveling with. The following table lists the details of the children, if any, who are traveling with you. This needs to be filled up if only the kid is below five years. For such cases, there would be no ticket issued to the kid.
- The next part needs to be filled out for the return journey. This part is required only if you want to avail yourself of the return journey. This requires the train number, the Name you decide to board, the date, the class, the station, and the station. Then, it asks for the Name of the applicant and the complete residential address.
- Check the details that you have provided thoroughly. Make sure the Train no., dates, and the other information mentioned is correct. Then put your signature on the lower right corner.
- The next part of the form mentions Office Use only. There is no need to fill in any details here. This portion will be filled in by the authorized officers at the reservation counter.
The Name, complete address, phone number, and signature are essential to the officials of the Indian Railways because these details are provided if any case of emergency arrives. The same works if there is any death or accident of the passenger. This helps in communication and for immediate assistance. These are mandatory as they include the safety of both the passenger and the railways. The form will not be accepted if anyone fails to fill in this information.
