When it comes to traveling by train, the reservation process starts months ago. We start with checking if the seats are available for booking for a comfortable journey.
We need to select from the two types of ticket booking processes for reservation, either by ticket reservation window or online.
In Case Of Emergency
Imagine the case when you have to travel immediately, in such scenarios we normally go for tatkal ticket booking.
What if there is another way?
Most of us are unaware that commuters can travel on a train even if they have a platform ticket and please note that it is completely legal.
Basically, Indian Railways has allowed passengers to travel by train even with platform tickets.
This simply implies that the passenger who has to board the train for an emergency can now travel carrying a platform ticket.
Also Read – Indian Railways Spend Rs 25,000 Crore For Advanced Safety Features: 5MHz Band, Anti-Collision System & More
How Does It Work?
In case if you do not have a reservation and have already boarded the train with only a platform ticket, then there is no need to panic.
In such cases, the passenger who is carrying the platform ticket has to reach the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) and should inform about his destination, as per the rule.
So that the TTE could make the ticket for his scheduled destination.
The advantage of this approach is that the passenger will have to pay the fare from the station from where he has taken the platform ticket.
As the same station will also be considered at the time of collecting the fare.
It is also noteworthy here that the fare will also be charged from the passenger in the same class in which he is found traveling.
Also Read – Indian Railways Resume These Long Distance Special Trains Covering Entire India: Full List Of Trains
If Reserved Seat Is Not Available?
Consider a case, where you don’t get a reserved seat, then a penalty of Rs 250 can be charged along with the cost of the destination ticket.
As these are the important rules of Railways, so should be known before traveling.
With the Covid-19 imposed lockdown, the railways’ earnings from platform tickets took a severe hit in 2020-21, as per the PTI report.
As bad as the revenue from sales dipping by about 94 percent as compared to the previous year.
The railways have earned Rs 10 crore till February 2020-21 through the sale of platform tickets, according to the railway’s reply to an RTI query.