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 widest 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 form 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 classes.
- The next details to be filled out are the Train No. and Name which 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 personal 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 next 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 of the return journey. This requires the train number, the name you decide to board, the date, the class, the station to and the station from. Then, it asks for the name of the applicant and the full 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, full address, phone number, and signature are important 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 these include the safety of both the passenger and the railways. The form will not be accepted if anyone fails to fill in this information.
This ends with how to fill up the Indian Railways Reservation form. Maximum six passengers and two children can be listed in one Railway Reservation Form. You need to take another form for additional passengers. The next thing to be done is to submit the form to the respective reservation officer present at the counter.
He would check the train you intend to travel by and the dates. He might let you know about other options you can avail, and ask for your confirmation. Upon confirming, he will print the tickets and issue them under the applicant’s name provided if the accommodation is available.
Emergency Travel
In case of emergencies, one might book tickets under the Tatkal scheme. These tickets are provided just three days before the scheduled journey commences. So, this option comes in handy when there is an immediate cause to travel by train. People who need to book Tatkal tickets have to mention Tatkal so that the proper tickets are provided. The tickets will cost higher than the normal tickets. To book a Tatkal ticket, the passenger needs to pay a premium amount in addition to the normal ticket fare.
The charges have been fixed at 10% of basic fare for the second class and 30% of basic fare for all other classes. There are no tatkal ticket cancellation charges if the tickets are RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) or waitlisted. Indian Railways allows a maximum of four passengers per PNR under the Tatkal Tickets scheme. The procedure is quite simple. So, rush to your nearest counter and book your tickets. Have a happy and safe journey!
