IRCTC Train Tickets Booking Starts Today: How to Book Tickets and Precautions to Take While Travelling

After the Indian Railways started ferrying migrants back to their villages and hometowns and also opened some routes for transporting goods, it is now all set to take stranded passengers to their destinations.

The decision comes in light of the government's efforts to slowly ease the nationwide lockdown that was put in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

The Railway Ministry on Sunday evening announced that it will resume operations of some passenger trains from May 12. However, the services will resume only on selected routes for now. Indian Railways has announced that the ticket bookings, that were to open from May 11, 16:00 hrs will now start at 18:00 hrs due to heavy traffic on the site. Passengers will be able to book their tickets directly from the official site of the Indian Railways.

IRCTC Ticket Booking Rules

As per the latest updates, IRCTC ticket booking rules have changed a bit and the railways will be taking utmost precaution to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

The railways have announced the ticket bookings will be done only through IRCTC online ticket booking site or mobile app. No agents will be allowed to operate. Ticket booking counters at the railway stations shall also remain closed.

The IRCTC has also urged the travellers to take complete protection while travelling, and use masks and gloves. It has also requested the travellers to reach the station one hour prior to the train timing so that complete screening of the passengers and their luggage can be done.

No passenger will be allowed to travel without undergoing proper screening. The Railways is also very clear on its stand that only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to travel. 

IRCTC has also announced that it won't be offering bedrolls and blankets to the customers travelling in AC coaches. The temperature of the AC coaches shall also remain higher than usual.

IRCTC Train Ticket Fare And Other Rules

Only passengers with confirmed tickets will be allowed to travel. No concessions or special reservations will be allowed in any of these trains. The fare of these trains will be equivalent to that of Rajdhani Express trains. No tatkal or premium tatkal slot is available. 

Also, in order to ensure strict compliance of social distancing norms, all seats will not be available for booking in these trains

List of Routes on Which Services Shall Resume

Indian Railways will run 15 pairs of special trains each day starting tomorrow. All of these trains will be running from New Delhi to select destinations, and back. List of the destinations is:

1. Dibrugarh
2. Agartala
3. Howrah
4. Patna
5. Bilaspur
6. Ranchi
7. Bhubaneswar
8. Secunderabad
9. Bengaluru
10. Chennai
11. Thiruvananthapuram
12. Madgaon
13. Mumbai Central
14. Ahmedabad
15. Jammu Tawi

Precautions to Take While Travelling

Here are some precautionary measures that all the passengers will have to follow while travelling:

• Use of masks and gloves for all passengers is compulsory.
• All the passengers are advised to carry their own bedding and blanket.
• Passengers should carry their own sanitizer and soaps. 
• It is advisable to sanitize the berth before using it. 
• No food shall be provided by railways, thus passengers are advised to carry sufficient edibles for the entire journey. 
• The passengers are requested to reach the station well before the scheduled departure of the train and undergo proper screening. 
• Passengers who are planning to travel are advised to take care of their health, as only people with zero symptoms will be allowed to travel.
• Passengers should also keep in mind to carry limited luggage as it will save time in screening.