Date:20/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/20/stories/2008052050731100.htm

National

Waitlisted e-tickets for all trains

Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI: To make ticket booking using the Internet more convenient, the Railway Ministry has extended the facility of passengers getting waitlisted e-tickets on all trains.

“We have allowed booking waitlisted tickets on all trains from May 10,” said a senior Railway official.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a public sector undertaking under the Ministry, offers the service on its website www.irctc.co.in.

Initially, the facility was for booking only confirmed e-tickets. Booking of waitlisted tickets on a few trains was started on a pilot basis.

The official said that since the launch of the service on May 10, there was a very good response. “Already, the IRCTC has been booking around 15,000 waitlisted e-tickets a day.”

After the chart is prepared, the waitlisted e-ticket may either become a fully confirmed ticket, a reservation against cancellation (RAC) ticket or might still remain fully waitlisted.

In the first two cases, the names of passengers would appear on the chart and they would be allowed to travel in accordance with reservation rules. Names of passengers holding tickets that remain waitlisted would not appear on the reservation chart and they would not be allowed to board the train.

For waitlisted e-tickets, customers need not apply to the IRCTC for cancellation and refund. Their tickets would be cancelled online and refund credited to their accounts automatically, the official said.