(a) whether e-tickets in the waiting list get automatically cancelled during preparation of chart while the tickets in the waiting list purchased from railway counters do not get automatically cancelled;
(b) if so, whether the Government proposes to make any alternative arrangement so as to provide the e-ticket facility to all passengers; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)
(a) to (c): In case of fully waitlisted e-tickets i.e. tickets on which all the passengers are on waiting list at the time of preparation of first reservation chart, names of all such waitlisted passengers are dropped from the reservation chart and the refund is directly credited to the source of payment as e-ticket is not a money value document. This facilitates automatic refund to such e-ticket holders without the need to approach the Railway’s booking counter for obtaining refund. For passengers booking the tickets through internet, the option of buying i-tickets including waitlist i-tickets, which are physical tickets at par with tickets issued through Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter, is also available. Since the physical ticket booked through PRS counter is a money value document, it has to be deposited for obtaining refund against the ticket as per extant refund rules. However, the facility of cancellation through 139 and through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website has also been introduced for the physical tickets.
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