Printing E-Ticket for Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a government-owned company that operates most of the country's rail transport. One of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, Indian Railways has always striven to adopt new technology including e-booking and e-printing your tickets. If you are visiting India, printing an e-ticket may be the best way to save time while traveling. Lines in front of the ticket counters are long and takes forever to purchase your tickets. Printing e-tickets also allows you to reserve your seat. Trains in India are mostly packed and it is almost a rarity to find seats if you wait too long in the counter.
Instructions
1. Log on to the official Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited website (see Resources). You will need to register first by clicking on the "Signup" link in the "Login" box. Enter your information (name, address, email etc.) to finish registration. Choose an username and password.
2. Login by entering your username and password. This will open the "Plan my travel and Book tickets" page.
3. Entering your departing station and destination. Select a travel date and "class" (1st class, A/C, non A/C, sleeper etc.) Select "e-ticket" under "Ticket type." Ignore the "Quota" option. Hit "Find Trains."
4. Select a train from the list based on your travel preferences and hit "Book Ticket."
5. Type out the names of the passengers, age, sex and berth (lower, middle and upper) preference for each passenger. See References for a sample form. Hit "Go."
6. Review your travel itinerary carefully. Review the ticket amount in Indian rupees. Review the cancellation and refund policy. Please note as of April 2010, 1 Indian rupee = 0.022497 U.S. dollars. Hit "Make Payment."
7. Enter your Credit Card/Debit Card details. Hit "Finish." Your payment will be processed and you should see the ticket confirmation details along with a "Print Reservation Slip" button. Make sure your printer is connected to your computer and is ready to use.
8. Hit the button "Print ERS (English)" to print your e-ticket. Remember to carry one official photo ID (passport, drivers licence etc.) if you opt for the e-Ticket option. Also, you may want to print an "Electronic Reservation Slip" by clicking on the 'BOOKED TICKETS' link on the left navigation bar. It is not compulsory, but highly recommended by Indian Railways travelers.
