Railways: How to book general and reservation train tickets online
What's the story
The Indian Railways' long-standing commitment to passenger convenience, and technological advancements has made it quite easy for commuters to book a train ticket, these days. Through its online tools, passengers can book not just reserved tickets, but also platform and general tickets, without having to bother with the never-ending queues at railway stations. Here's how you can book general, and reservation train tickets online.
Reservation
How to book reservation in train, online
First off, log in to your account on the IRCTC e-ticketing website. Next, in the 'Book your ticket' box, enter your journey details, viz. Boarding station, destination station, date of travel, and travel class. Then, click on 'Find trains.' You will be displayed a list of trains available for your selected route and date. Check train timings and fare, and click on 'Book now' for the desired option.
Information
Final steps
On the next page, enter passenger details, viz. name, age, gender, food-choice, travel insurance, mobile number, etc. of all the passengers. Click on 'Continue Booking' button. Finally, review your booking, make payment, and you are done.
General ticket
UTS app for booking general (unreserved) train ticket online
To save passengers the hassle of standing in long queues and waiting for their turn to get a general ticket from ticket counters, the Indian Railways launched the UTS mobile-app. The app allows passengers to book upto four tickets within a radius of 5 km from the source railway station. Other than normal tickets, one can also book platform tickets, season tickets, and monthly pass.
How to?
Procedure to book unreserved train ticket on UTS app
The UTS app is available for download on Windows, Apple, and Android smartphones. Download the app from your respective app store. Register or log in to the app. Click on 'Book ticket' option, then select the type of ticket you want to book. Enter the required details, viz. source and destination stations, passenger type, ticket type, and train type. Finally, click on 'Book ticket' and make payment.