Indian Railways Thread | Info, Queries & Reviews

clevermax · 10th December 2008, 10:58

@ThreadStarter: IRCTC site is not hopeless. Its a boon to the rail traveller in india. Can you imagine how many transactions it does in a day?

I've been using this site for years now, booked hundreds of tickets with this, faced an issue only once. (Print e-ticket link did not work, but I copied the details of the ticket to an old e-ticket which was saved as a word doc, and took a printout)

rjvora_2000 · 10th December 2008, 11:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by anupamsinha

Cleartrip would charge a service fee of Rs. 20 per ticket and taxes over that 20 Rs. as well. Plus I guess the transaction charges are more for cleartrip. On IRCTC, the transaction charges are shown in the credit card statement and in case clear trip it is shown upfront. Maybe it differs from credit card to credit card but I have found clear trip transaction charges to be on the higher side. That should be around 20 -30 Rs. for 2-3K transaction. If you try to book a ticket through cleartrip it would show you the cost breakage when you click book, which is available after you check availability.

Ok. This means that Irctc we use it for less charges and for Cleartrip we will have to spend more.

Thank you very much for this information.

rkbharat · 11th December 2008, 19:02

Sorry for OT, but I see lots of expert here so

SHIV GANGA EXP, ND - Varanasi , 19- Dec- 2008 WL 19/WL 14

What are the chances of it getting confirmed from Wait List by 19th ?

NetfreakBombay · 11th December 2008, 19:04

Which class? Sleeper /3rd /2nd AC ?

rkbharat · 11th December 2008, 19:06

AC 2 tier Sleeper 2A

Sorry I missed it

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkbharat

Sorry for OT, but I see lots of expert here so

SHIV GANGA EXP, ND - Varanasi , 19- Dec- 2008 WL 19/WL 14

What are the chances of it getting confirmed from Wait List by 19th ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Which class? Sleeper /3rd /2nd AC ?

jat · 11th December 2008, 23:45

Regarding query by rkbharat : 50:50. It all depends on the date you have booked and number of seats available in emergency quota and also cancellation. Cancellation rate is high during holiday travels.

For people advocating cleartrip.com : AFAIK, IRCTC has exclusive right on e-tkts and i-tkts. Cleartrip.com has to book through them only. Please check their website.

I have been using the IRCTC right from inception. Initially it was used on trial basis and was just competetive to the travel agents. They didn't have e-tkts. Only i-tkts and the delivery wasn't in all the cities. And they required about time (dependant on PIN code) for delivery of tickets.

The limit of transaction has come from that time to prevent misuse or fraud by booking agents (in metros) as was quite prevalent at the time when it was started

Today it has grown into a huge network. It will definitely be one of the largest if not largest. And it is quite complex, because the tickets are booked on first come first serve basis. And the booking is confirmed only when the payment is completed. If anybody has worked with databases records, they will know about the records being locked and unlocked. Imagine that being done just for a fraction of second and it has to select among cities more than 1000 km apart over network.

They do have the preference of lower berths for senior citizens, I belief. Whenever we have booked for our parents, we get the lower berths by default for them, but for us, even when we try to select lower berths, we don't get it.

It has some inherent problems, like they do have the standard quota and if you want to go beyond that, then you have to go the counter. Also due to change in sitting arrangements in coach which has not been standardised, you are going to face problems while booking. For example at the time of booking, your coach was 64 seater but has been converted to 72 seater before departure. And this database upgrade is quite slow on their site.

Also, there is a special VIP quota, which was released 24 hrs before train departure (I don't know now - we used that quota under special condition to book our tickets while travelling during college holidays)

Overall, my own experience has been good, if not excellent.

I also faced some comm errors. I found a solution by adjusting MTU units quite low. It is working ok since then (This may be wrong, so please don't come after me with a stick if it doesn't work. hehehe)

HappyWheels · 12th December 2008, 11:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkbharat

AC 2 tier Sleeper 2A...

With just 7 days to go, you will most probably end up being close but not close enough to get a travel status.

Cancellations in 2 ties AC is not too many, hence reducing your chances!

If this was 3 tier A/c or 2 tier sleeper, it will be certainly be confirmed.

redrage · 12th December 2008, 12:09

What happens to the amount you pay if you dont get a ticket under the waitlist category?

HappyWheels · 12th December 2008, 13:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by redrage

What happens to the amount you pay if you dont get a ticket under the waitlist category?

It gets refunded back to your account in ~3 working days. No follow up or anything required.

joecherian · 18th December 2008, 08:03

IRCTC is down again.WHat can we do ? Cleartrip also down...

HappyWheels · 18th December 2008, 08:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by joecherian

IRCTC is down again.WHat can we do ? Cleartrip also down...

Wait for a hour or two and then retry.

supremeBaleno · 18th December 2008, 09:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by joecherian

IRCTC is down again.WHat can we do ?

When was IRCTC down ? At exactly 8AM today, I booked a Tatkal ticket for 23-Dec to go home for Xmas. Got the ticket without any issues.

BenjiRoss · 18th December 2008, 09:10

I get a database error on TBHP when trying to post here - on this thread!

HappyWheels · 18th December 2008, 10:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

I get a database error on TBHP when trying to post here - on this thread!

(

Sorry, couldn't resist the temptation to ask this!)

Ok; then how did you make this post?

EDIT: Ok, me too got the same thing. But the post did go thru.

redrage · 14th April 2009, 11:32

I had booked a Bangalore Chennai Ticket last week on IRCTC on Wait list 18 now its come to wait list 1. I travel tomorrow at 6 am if its confirmed. Any way i can get to know my chances of getting the ticket confirmed? Please Help.

I called 139 and other IRCTC numbers, they can just give the status. I want to know is there anything else i need to do other than wait for the confirmation from IRCTC or go ahead and try to book a bus now?

10th December 2008, 10:58	#91
clevermax Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tvm/Amsterdam Posts: 2,112 Thanked: 2,898 Times View My Garage	@ThreadStarter: IRCTC site is not hopeless. Its a boon to the rail traveller in india. Can you imagine how many transactions it does in a day? I've been using this site for years now, booked hundreds of tickets with this, faced an issue only once. (Print e-ticket link did not work, but I copied the details of the ticket to an old e-ticket which was saved as a word doc, and took a printout)
	() Thanks

11th December 2008, 19:02	#93
rkbharat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Gurgaon/New Delhi Posts: 1,603 Thanked: 724 Times View My Garage	Sorry for OT, but I see lots of expert here so SHIV GANGA EXP, ND - Varanasi , 19- Dec- 2008 WL 19/WL 14 What are the chances of it getting confirmed from Wait List by 19th ?
	() Thanks

11th December 2008, 19:04	#94
NetfreakBombay Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,481 Thanked: 1,128 Times	Which class? Sleeper /3rd /2nd AC ?
	() Thanks

11th December 2008, 23:45	#96
jat BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SINGAPORE Posts: 266 Thanked: 7 Times	Regarding query by rkbharat : 50:50. It all depends on the date you have booked and number of seats available in emergency quota and also cancellation. Cancellation rate is high during holiday travels. For people advocating cleartrip.com : AFAIK, IRCTC has exclusive right on e-tkts and i-tkts. Cleartrip.com has to book through them only. Please check their website. I have been using the IRCTC right from inception. Initially it was used on trial basis and was just competetive to the travel agents. They didn't have e-tkts. Only i-tkts and the delivery wasn't in all the cities. And they required about time (dependant on PIN code) for delivery of tickets. The limit of transaction has come from that time to prevent misuse or fraud by booking agents (in metros) as was quite prevalent at the time when it was started Today it has grown into a huge network. It will definitely be one of the largest if not largest. And it is quite complex, because the tickets are booked on first come first serve basis. And the booking is confirmed only when the payment is completed. If anybody has worked with databases records, they will know about the records being locked and unlocked. Imagine that being done just for a fraction of second and it has to select among cities more than 1000 km apart over network. They do have the preference of lower berths for senior citizens, I belief. Whenever we have booked for our parents, we get the lower berths by default for them, but for us, even when we try to select lower berths, we don't get it. It has some inherent problems, like they do have the standard quota and if you want to go beyond that, then you have to go the counter. Also due to change in sitting arrangements in coach which has not been standardised, you are going to face problems while booking. For example at the time of booking, your coach was 64 seater but has been converted to 72 seater before departure. And this database upgrade is quite slow on their site. Also, there is a special VIP quota, which was released 24 hrs before train departure (I don't know now - we used that quota under special condition to book our tickets while travelling during college holidays) Overall, my own experience has been good, if not excellent. I also faced some comm errors. I found a solution by adjusting MTU units quite low. It is working ok since then (This may be wrong, so please don't come after me with a stick if it doesn't work. hehehe)
	() Thanks

12th December 2008, 12:09	#98
redrage BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 557 Thanked: 106 Times	What happens to the amount you pay if you dont get a ticket under the waitlist category?
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 08:03	#100
joecherian BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Almhult,Sweden Posts: 552 Thanked: 80 Times View My Garage	IRCTC is down again.WHat can we do ? Cleartrip also down...
	() Thanks

18th December 2008, 09:10	#103
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,070 Thanked: 1,335 Times	I get a database error on TBHP when trying to post here - on this thread!
	() Thanks

14th April 2009, 11:32	#105
redrage BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 557 Thanked: 106 Times	I had booked a Bangalore Chennai Ticket last week on IRCTC on Wait list 18 now its come to wait list 1. I travel tomorrow at 6 am if its confirmed. Any way i can get to know my chances of getting the ticket confirmed? Please Help. I called 139 and other IRCTC numbers, they can just give the status. I want to know is there anything else i need to do other than wait for the confirmation from IRCTC or go ahead and try to book a bus now?
	() Thanks