Synopsys:  

What comes into your mind before booking a train ticket? A long spiral queue and wastage of valuable time? Not really in recent days. Thanks to the modern technology and advanced ticket reservation services provided by IRCTC through their Android app and Windows website. In the last five years, the IRCTC Online Ticket Booking of train tickets has increased by 12 times. The IRCTC online ticket booking procedure is easy to use, robust and secure. 

Most significantly, the ancient days of the long queue have gone. Now you can book a ticket sitting at your home, anytime. The ticket booking, cancellation, and some other add-on services like booking a meal or waiting room also can be made through IRCTC online portal, where we will discuss how you can reserve a train seat using the IRCTC website or application.

How to Register on IRCTC

Before you book the ticket, you need to register yourself under the IRCTC website with some personal information. You need an active email address and an active cell phone number. To register, browse the following URL: https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/profile/user-registration. Here you need to provide the following information:

• Basic Details (Preferred User Id and Password)
• Personal Details (Your full name, email address, cell phone number, nationality, etc.)
• Address Information 

Once you are done with the registration process, the application will prompt you to validate your email address and Cell Phone Number with an OTP (One Time Password) authentication. 

How to Use the IRCTC Online Ticket Booking system?

• Browse the following URL: https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search. At the left top corner, you will get a login option. Click on that Login Button and provide your Userid and Password to create a new session in IRCTC. Once logged in, it’s a straightforward process to search for a train and make a reservation.
• After the login is successful, the application will automatically take you into the ‘Book Ticket’ window. 
• Enter the origin station under the ‘FROM’ field and the destination station under the ‘TO’ field. Select the journey date, and optionally choose the reservation class as well.
• Once you have provided all the requested information, please click on the “Search” button.
• This will list all the matching trains with their Name, Number, timing, availability, and travel time.
• Click on the ‘Train Schedule’ link (adjacent to each train) to get the route details. You can also see all the halts for that given train and halt timings.
• Another field is displayed adjacent to the train name as “Runs On.” This field signifies the weekly schedule for the given train. 
• Now, click on the reservation type that appeared for each train to see the availability. Once you click on the reservation type, it will display the current status and fare. The following types of reservations are available: AC First Class,  2 Tier, 3 Tier, Sleeper, Chair Car. Second Sitting
• You can select the reservation type as per your preference and availability. The availability has several definitions. The Indian Railways started releasing the advance booking 120 days before the scheduled departure date. Hence it is not always obvious to get a confirmed reservation. Based on the booking rush, you can get the following scenarios:
• Available – Signifies a confirmed reservation
• RAC – Signifies a sitting reservation and completes reservation only after some previously booked ticket cancellation. 
• WL – Signifies no reservation and confirms based on previously booked ticket cancellation.
• PQWL– Signified no reservation and confirmed based on previously booked ticket cancellation.
• Once you have finalized the reservation type, you will get a “Book Now” button. Click on that, and it will take you to the page where you need to provide passenger information.
• You can book tickets for a maximum of six persons at a time.
• You need to provide the passenger’s name, age, gender in the passenger information. The passenger’s name field accepts a maximum of 16 characters; hence if you have a lengthy name, you have to use the short initials. Once you provide the passenger information, you need to provide basic information on the passenger’s destination.
• You can choose a few other options for sit preference like a lower birth or upper birth, etc.
• If you are a senior citizen, you can also check for senior citizen concessions provided by the Indian Railway from time to time.
• There is another provision to opt for travel insurance. However, it’s truly optional and costs only 49 paise.
• Once you are done with all the preference sets, you have to choose a payment gateway.
• After choosing the payment gateway, click on the “Continue Booking” button. This will take you into the itinerary travel page with all passenger details, train timing, and details, etc., for your quick review. Make sure you have filled in all the correct information and finally proceed with payment options.
• You can make payments using credit cards, net banking, payment wallets, UPI, gift card, multiple payment services, etc.
• Select the preferred payment option and proceed to the “Make Payment” option. Provide the necessary information and authentication to complete the transaction. Once the transaction is successful, IRCTC will automatically take you to the successful reservation page, where you can get the booked ticket and even download or print it directly.
• After the successful booking, you will get an SMS from IRCTC on the upcoming reservation. However, the SMS will not come instantly. It will come just 24 hours before the actual journey date into your registered cell phone number. 
• In addition, you will receive the train ticket directly at your registered email address.
• If you want to book the return ticket, you can choose the ‘Book Return/Onward Ticket’ link and follow the same process to book the return ticket. However, in this case, the passenger information will be carried forward automatically, and the source and destination station will be reversed. 

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What else can you do with the IRCTC Booking Website?

The IRCTC website is mainly used to book or cancel train tickets. However, you can also try several enhanced features using this application.

• You can book a preferred food from a preferred station during your journey.
• Book a hotel for staying purposes.
• You can book a travel package provided by IRCTC.
• Go for TATKAL booking using the IRCTC application.
• You can even book a flight ticket using the IRCTC application and website.

Conclusions 

Nowadays, online reservation systems have become accessible, and any android user or web user can use an online platform to make a train ticket reservation. There are several gateway services to book a train ticket other than IRCTC. The payment options are secure and have various options to select. Several online payment tools give a good discount on online reservations. 

The ancient time of ticket booking procedure is no longer mandatory, and you can opt for a better solution to make a train ticket reservation which will make your life much easier. We also need to be aware of the scheduled maintenance time for the IRCTC website when the booking procedures are restricted. On the other hand, if there is any failure during the money transaction, the deducted money will automatically be credited back to your designated account within the next 3 working days.

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