Wow! IRCTC is really responsive!!

October 16, 2012 at 6:30 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

In Nov 2011, I blogged about the incomplete details that IRCTC provided to passengers via sms (read it here) and there was a slight improvement in June 2012 when some more details were added (you can read the post here).

Today (16th Oct 2012), I made a booking and I got the sms as “PNR xxxx Train 12657 DOJ 06-11-2012 Time:23:15 SL, MAS to SBC BADRINARAYANAN, S X, XX Fare 193, SC 10+PG Chgs”

Wow! I now have all the details I need viz the PNR number, train no, date, time of departure, coach and seat (details suppressed above for obvious reasons).

There is really no need for me to take a printout of the ticket except as an insurance against my mobile not being charged or if a physical document is required for accounting purposes.

Now that IRCTC is really listening and being empathetic, may I also request them to include the Train name as well!!  If that would call for additional characters, then most people would not mind the fare and sc details removed!!

Congratulations IRCTC and thank you!!

BTW, I just realized that PNR (an acronym that I have used frequently without knowing the expansion) stands for Passenger Name Record

Leave a Comment

20 vital elements to successfully book Tatkal tickets online

June 29, 2012 at 10:18 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

  1. Have tons of patience.  Booking tatkal tickets is not for the faint-hearted and for those who are in a state of perpetual hurry
  2. Be focussed on the booking alone.  Trying to multi-task either on the computer or outside will not work.
  3. Have the key details ready.  You would need the id card details as well as the credit card details for completing the transaction.
  4. Be persistent.  if you are able to get the tickets on the first attempt, be very thankful.  it would take a few trials.  Giving up is not the option.
  5. Be positive.  When you see the number of available tickets dwindling at each stage, it is very easy to panic and give up.  Be hopeful of a favourable outcome and persist.
  6. Have clarity in train and class.  There may be many trains to your destination and different classes as well but you may not have the luxury of trying them on the spot.  At best, have a back up option.
  7. Have the codes of the origin and the destination stations ready before you login.  while the system supports a drop-in of names as you type the characters, sometimes it may take very long.  if you do not know the station codes, then visit www.90di.com and get the information.  This will really save you crucial time and can even make the difference between buying and not buying the ticket.
  8. Don’t click on the Quick book option before 10 am.  The normal opening form is Plan my travel and use it if you are trying to book at 8:00 am.  i discovered to my horror that quick book option is not available only after 8 minutes and in the process lost confirmations.
  9. Create a master last of passengers in your account in the IRCTC website.  Once you login, click on user profile and you will find the facility. This will save you lot of crucial minutes especially in the busiest hours.
  10. Don’t ever ever ever ever click on refresh or back buttons in the browser.  All that you did will be lost in that second and you will be out of the IRCTC website.
  11. If  you are buying using your Visa credit card, remember to register for the 3D Secure facility and generate the password before you take the plunge.  That is the final stage in the booking process and it doesn’t make sense that you went all the way and couldn’t pay.
  12. If you are using Mastercard, there is a similar second level authentication for online payments.
  13. If you are really serious about getting the tickets, then don’t make  the  particular berths allotment as a pre-condition.  even if you are scattered in different compartments, you can make arrangements with fellow passengers and the TTE to travel together.
  14. Remember to carry the same  ID in original that you have mentioned in the booking process.  The TTE is within his rights to reject your reservation if you present a photocopy or a different document altogether.
  15. Go ahead even if you get a Waitlisted ticket on Tatkal.  I had the recent experience of my Tatkal waitlisted ticket getting confirmed well in time.
  16. Don’t be complacent if you find the availability to be high.  It may dwindle and even go to waitlist by the time you finish the process.  Just this morning, I had the experience of seeing 238 available for Chennai mail from bangalore to Chennai going all the way down to WL 20 thanks to the multiple connection and communication errors that i faced in an hour-long contest.
  17. Avoid checking your email or doing any other online activity while you are booking.  This can delay the response times from IRCTC and give you serious heartburns
  18. Keep changing gateways for credit card payments.  We do not know the loads on the various gateways and sometimes we may get a failure message at the last 2 legs.  when you try the next time, choose a different gateway.
  19. If someone else is travelling, then mention their mobile number while booking and the confirmation sms will be delivered to them.  Do remember that this sms is a proof of your reservation.
  20. Take it in your stride if you cannot get the ticket.  Beating yourself or being bitter about the system will not solve the problem.  Try not to repeat the mistakes you made this time.

I would love to hear of more Do’s and don’ts from you!!  

And please share this with people you know so that they are

successful in buying tatkal tickets online

8 Comments

Things are really improving …

June 8, 2012 at 12:53 am (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

In November 2011, I had written a post on the quality of information in the sms sent by IRCTC that can be considered as proof of ticket.

Vide the booking done y’day and blogged as my mistakes, the sms that I received was slightly better in terms of the content.

It reads quote “pnr xxxxx train no 12345 doj 08-06-12 SL MAS to SBC Badrinarayanan, Fare 268 sc.10+PG Charges” unquote

The improvements are it mentions the train no (wish it was the train name!!!), date of journey, origin and destination codes and name of passenger and this is a huge shift.

Still, what’s the use of a ticket if it does not contain the coach and berth (seat) no?That’s a big let down.

Anyway, thanks to IRCTC and the officers concerned for taking action to this extent and hopefully they will do better soon.

3 Comments

How can IRCTC be so shortsighted?

November 11, 2011 at 1:18 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , , ,

I was very happy when Indian Railways announced that I don’t have to print my e-tickets and that the sms from IRCTC will be considered valid by the ticket checkers. ”

Great initiative to reduce the cutting of trees and a step forward in adapting technology” so I thought. So far, great!

And then I made a booking and got the sms. I thought there should be some mistake because it simply said “PNR 4235020957, FARE 268, IRCTC CHRG 10, PG CHRG AS APPLICABLE”

I was wondering if there is going to be more text and waited for eternity. It finally dawned on me that there is going to be nothing further than this. And I was devastated!

No passenger name, no train name or number & no coach number, seat or berth details.

Worse, what do i care about IRCTC Charge or PG (which btw is Payment Gateway) charge as applicable?

And the biggest joke of all is that all this stupid content (sans the pnr number) came to only 97 characters which meant that 63 more was left and wasted.

I am still wondering about the original objective!!

I still have to print my e ticket to have my coach and seat details, train name and number and time of departure.

And seeing this as an alternative to printing, I am zapped!!

3 Comments