Passenger Ticketing System Overview

Coupon tickets have different colors based on the train class: white for AC, green for First/AC Sleeper, drab for 2nd class mail/express, and yellow for 2nd class ordinary.

Authorized tourist agencies issue coupon tickets to foreign tourists and residents of India for travel in AC and First/AC Sleeper class for themselves, and 2nd class for their attendants.

Coupon tickets have three foils: one for accounts, one for the passenger, and one for records. These are prepared by carbon paper.

Coupon tickets are not transferable.

Printed platform tickets are valid for two hours from the time of issue.

Platform tickets allow non-passenger access to railway platforms.

Platform passes/permits may be issued by the railway administration to those needing daily platform access for business reasons.

A formal request for tickets from a printing press.

A yearly request for ticket supply at stations.

Six-month ticket order for high-volume stations.

Stations need to order at least 100 tickets if their annual consumption is less than 100.

A quick ticket order due to unexpected high demand.

Specific dates set by the railway administration for submitting ticket requests.

Checking the ticket inventory when new supplies arrive.

The person responsible for a railway station's operations, including ticket management.

Marking an urgent ticket request with 'EMERGENT INDENT' in red ink.

A notebook kept at every railway station that lists single journey fares for different classes to stations on other railways. This notebook is updated regularly with fare changes and is inspected by railway officials.

Tickets issued in a sequence that doesn't match the proper progressive order of the ticket book. This can happen due to mistakes or other unforeseen circumstances.

When an out-of-order ticket is issued, destination and checking stations are notified with a telegram, and the ticket is accounted for separately in passenger classification returns.

A book used to record all tickets issued, including those issued out of order, to maintain an accurate record of the ticket stock.

If a booking clerk frequently issues tickets out of order, it should be viewed with suspicion, implying a potential issue with the clerk or their procedures.

Tickets issued for a longer route, under specific conditions.

The longer route can't be more than 15% longer than the shortest route.

The longer route journey must be faster than the shortest route.

If a train doesn't run to a station, the passenger should be informed.

Passengers should be advised if the train doesn't stop at the station.

If no direct train exists, alternative connections should be suggested.

Tickets can be issued for parts of the journey combining mail/express and ordinary trains.

Booking staff should know the stopping stations of each train.

Staff should not book passengers to stations where the train doesn't stop unless there's a connection.

Passengers must be advised of all relevant factors about the route they booked, including stops.

Passengers traveling partly by mail/express trains and partly by ordinary trains can be issued a single ticket combining both types of fares.

On some railways, mail/express trains may charge mail fares only for a portion of a journey, with ordinary fares for the remaining section.

If a passenger needs to travel in one class for part of the journey and another class for the rest, they can be issued a single combined ticket.

Combined printed tickets should be indented if there's a significant demand for them, otherwise, blank paper tickets are used.

Endorsing or 'backing up' tickets is generally prohibited, except in cases where a passenger is delayed due to police instructions.

If a passenger is delayed by police and cannot travel on the original train, the Station Master can endorse the ticket for another train.

To endorse a ticket due to police delay, the matter must be reported promptly to the Station Master.

The Station Master will endorse the ticket for a different train only if the police provide a satisfactory explanation for the delay.

When a passenger wants to travel in one class but that class isn't available for the entire journey, a combined ticket is issued.

Combined printed card tickets are used if the demand for them is high.

If printed combined tickets are not available, blank paper tickets are used.

A ticket issued to passengers caught travelling without a valid ticket or with an improper ticket. It's used when printed tickets are unavailable and must be paid for at the starting station.

When an excess fare ticket is issued, a report must be filed with the Divisional Office and the Traffic Accounts Office explaining the circumstances. The excess fare ticket is issued and accounted for like a blank paper ticket.

A paper ticket (Form Com./T-6) issued when reserved accommodation is provided on a special or ordinary train.

These tickets are machine-numbered, printed in sets of three foils (accounts, passenger, and record) and prepared with carbon paper, following the same instructions as blank paper tickets.

These tickets are used for both local and through bookings for all classes and types of traffic.

Excess fare tickets must be prepared using double-sided carbon paper and include the date, month, number of passengers, and realized amount in words.

If printed card tickets are exhausted, use a printed card ticket for the farthest available distance and an excess fare ticket for the remaining distance.

An indent is a formal request for tickets from a printing press. It's like a shopping list for the railway station, asking for a specific number of tickets for different routes, classes, and types.

Station Masters are responsible for preparing indents for their station, ensuring they have enough tickets to meet passenger needs.

Indents can be submitted annually, semi-annually (for high-volume stations), or even emergently when there's a sudden need for more tickets.

Stations must order at least 100 tickets, even if their annual consumption is less than 100.

Besides the station name and number of tickets, the indent should also include details like the fare, the distance, the train route, and the last ticket number in the series.

The number of tickets estimated minus the number on hand is the number of tickets to be indented, rounded up to the next highest hundred.

Two copies are sent to the supplying officer through the Divisional Commercial Superintendent, one is kept as record, and the printing press returns one copy to the station.

The Divisional Commercial Superintendent and the printing press should be informed by telegram if the copy isn't received within 30 days.

Season tickets and blank paper tickets require separate indents.

If a station master finds a mistake in the number of tickets received, they must inform the supplying officer, who will notify all stations that were alerted about the lost tickets to stop looking out for the lost tickets and cancel the railway gazette notification.

Misprinted, damaged, or duplicate tickets received from the printer must be returned to the printing press using a specific form.

The station master must log the details of the gazette notification about lost tickets or the advice received from the supplying officer for non-issued tickets in the ticket stock book, and include this information in the daily trains cash-cum-summary book.

The station master must count and verify blank paper tickets and money value books, and record the verification with their dated signature on the record foil.

After counting card tickets, staff must put their dated initials on the back of the ticket with the highest number in each bundle.

The ticket stock book (Form Com./T.22) is used to record all card and season ticket details for different stations, with one or two pages dedicated to each station.

The examination and count of tickets after receiving them must be completed within 45 days.

When a ticket is issued out of order, the destination station and checking stations are notified by telegram, and the ticket is recorded separately in reports.

A ticket issued for a longer route than the shortest route available, but only if the longer route is not more than 15% longer and is quicker.

If a passenger wants a ticket to a station where their chosen train doesn't stop, they must be informed and offered alternative transportation options.

Booking staff must know the stopping stations of all trains and should not book passengers to stations where the train doesn't stop unless there's a connection to another train.

Printed card tickets are used to issue combined fares when there's a significant demand for them. Otherwise, blank paper tickets can be used.

A ticket issued to non-passengers who need to access a railway platform for a short time, usually for receiving or seeing off friends and relatives. It is valid for two hours.

Passengers traveling in air-conditioned (first class) or AC sleeper/first class are allowed to bring attendants, who need to purchase second-class tickets.

Attendant tickets can be issued for any station on the route covered by the passenger's air-conditioned or AC sleeper/first class ticket.

A single ticket that combines fares for different parts of a journey using mail/express and ordinary trains, or different travel classes.