We have all faced this dilemma while planning a trip whether our tickets for the train journey will get confirmed or not. And a big part of that journey is opening the IRCTC website and checking the IRCTC seat availability every minute. As one hassle for the confirmed, RAC or unconfirmed status of their train tickets, one is bound to get frustrated but there is no escape from it because if you want to travel on a train, you have to figure out how to traverse through the website and book the ticket. Here are a few tips to help you with your journey and grabbing that confirmed seat a bit easy for your future travels.
Book In Advance
This point can’t be stressed enough. If you know the date you are traveling in advance, just book your train ticket in advance. Even if that means booking the tickets four months or a hundred twenty days in advance which is the maximum number of days you can book your tickets in advance on the IRCTC website. You can even check the availability on the Indian Railways website for the earliest available berths on the train towards your destination and can plan your trip according to those dates.
Convert Your Waitlisted Ticket Into A Flight Ticket
If you have made a booking on the IRCTC website and got a waitlisted ticket, you can now convert your waitlisted ticket into a flight ticket for the same destination and date on or after your travel date for a significantly lower price than the actual airfare. In June 2015, IRCTC announced that it was partnering with some of the much like budget airlines of the country like Go Air and SpiceJet to provide its customers better facilities. This scheme works if you have booked a train ticket at least three days prior to the travel date and you are on a waitlist. IRCTC will then send you an email to the waitlisted passengers offering them the flight tickets for as low as thirty to forty percent of the price of the actual airfare. As most of these budget airlines also never fly all booked, it is a win-win situation for the customer as they can choose to fly at almost the same price point as their train travel.
Grab A Confirmed Seat Even After The Chart Is Prepared
Indian Railways have a little-known thing called current booking which most of the people are not aware of. You can take advantage of this by booking a ticket in the train just thirty minutes before the departure. Just go to the train station or log on to the website to check IRCTC seat availability for the train whose passenger chart is prepared. There you can book your seat under the current booking tab and you only have to pay the same amount you would pay for the general quota tickets. So if there are some seats available at the remote quota station the given train route, a passenger can still book the current ticket even after the train has started its journey. This way you can get a confirmed ticket on a train and save on the tatkal charges and it really helps if you are in a hurry.
One more method to get confirmed tickets on IRCTC is through the Tatkal scheme but it is very hit or miss for most of the passengers. And same goes for if you are booking your ticket through any travel agent. These little tips can help you skip all that and get you a confirm seat through IRCTC much easily and through the comfort of your home. Keeping these tips in mind for next time will certainly come in handy and will make you a much more informed traveler.
