Indian Railways is the fourth largest railway system in the world. Millions of people travel daily across the country. Railways operate thousands of trains for the convenience of passengers so that everyone can get a chance to travel. The first choice of most people in India is the train because it is a medium of inexpensive, convenient and affordable journey. Passengers have both reserved and general coach options available for traveling in the train. To travel in the reserved coach, more ticket price has to be paid, while the general coach can be traveled at a low price. The special feature of the General Coach is that ticket booking is easier and cheap in it, but this coach is crowded. Earlier, passengers had to go to the railway station to buy tickets from the counter to buy general tickets, but now due to technological development, the Railways has given the facility of UTS mobile app. Through this, you can book online general ticket from anywhere.
Rules and deadline for online general ticket booking
Even after online general ticket booking, the Railways has made some rules for this which all passengers need to understand. The most important rule is the validity of the ticket i.e. how long the ticket will be valid. General tickets booked online have a certain time period, inside which it is mandatory to travel. If the journey is not done within the stipulated time limit after the release of the ticket, the ticket is automatically finished. According to the rules of the Railway, the passengers have to travel within 3 hours after booking the online general ticket. If you do not travel during this period, your ticket will be considered over and you will be traveling without tickets. In such a situation, you can be fined by the ticket inspector (TTE).
Penalty for ending tickets without traveling
If a passenger has booked the general ticket, but does not board the train within the stipulated time, then the railway considers that ticket to be canceled. In such cases, passengers have to pay a fine of Rs 250. This fine is imposed on passengers traveling without tickets. The reason for this is that the ticket is not valid when the ticket is finished, so the ticket holder is traveling without a ticket. Apart from this, you may also have to pay the full fare to board the train from where you did not start the journey but were caught. This rule is made to maintain the strict discipline of the railway and run the ticket system smoothly.
Why is caution in general ticket booking?
Passengers should pay special attention to their travel plan while booking general tickets. Sometimes the travel time suddenly changes or plans are averted, causing the danger of elimination of tickets. For this reason, it is necessary to travel on time or cancel the ticket. If the ticket is finished and you start traveling then you may have to pay heavy fine. It is very easy to book tickets through the UTS app, but it is equally important to follow the rules for passengers. You can avoid unnecessary penalty by taking care of the validity of General Ticket.
Passengers benefit from digital initiative of Indian Railways
Railway’s digital initiative, such as ticket booking from UTS app, makes the journey simple, convenient and timely saving for passengers. Now you do not need to stand in a long queue at the railway station. You can book tickets anywhere, anywhere from mobile phone. Also, the ticket status can also be tracked online. This change has made the railway service more transparent and technically advanced. Passengers have found flexibility in their travel plans and the mistakes in ticket booking can also be reduced.
conclusion
In the general ticket booking of Indian Railways, the online facility has made the journey easier for passengers, but it is necessary to understand and follow the rules associated with it. The validity of the general ticket booked online is only 3 hours, within which the ticket will be finished and a fine may also be imposed. Therefore, while planning your journey, take care of the validity and rules of the ticket so that your journey can be pleasant and trouble free.
