Beat the summer rush with these new measures by Indian Railways

• Now IRCTC delivers train tickets to your doorstep
• Extra AC-3 coaches being added on select routes

In an attempt by the Railways to become more customer-friendly, passengers can now get their tickets delivered directly to them and can pay using cash or any other payment mode. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced the pay-on-delivery (PoD) option which will allow passengers to book train tickets online and pay at the time of delivery. This convenient payment policy is a latest measure amongst a slew of initiatives to help passengers during peak travel season.

This is an added incentive for customers to book tickets online instead of booking through travel agents or railway reservation counters. The tickets can be booked through the IRCTC website or mobile app according to a senior official. Online payments can be made using internet banking, credit and debit cards, etc. For getting PoD as a payment option, the customer will have to do a one-time registration by supplying Aadhaar or PAN card details.

PoD charges shall be Rs 90 for transactions up to Rs 5,000 and Rs 120 for transactions over Rs 5,000 plus service tax, the report says. However, in case of refusal or cancellation before delivery, the delivery and cancellation charges will be levied. This service will be initially available five days before the departure date and will cover over 4000 pin codes in more than 600 cities and towns.

In another move, The Indian Railways has decided to add extra AC-III tier coach to some express trains to clear the summer rush.

The Amritsar-Saharsa Garibrath Express will be augmented by an additional AC-3 coach from May 13 to 28. An extra AC-3 coach will also be added to the Anand Vihar-Varanasi Garibrath Express from May 12 to 30. Also, the Anand Vihar-Gaya Garibrath Express will be augmented by one additional AC-3 coach from May 13 to 24. The Anand Vihar-Muzaffarpur Garibrath Express will be augmented by an extra AC-3 coach from May 12 to 30. Besides, the New Delhi-Naharlagun Superfast Express will be augmented by one additional AC-3 coach from May 14 to 25.

This new measures will provide the much needed relief for passengers traveling on these routes and also the convenience of paying by cash on delivery for their online ticket bookings, thereby beating the long queues and travel agents. Indian railways is definitely on track towards a more modern system with customer service and convenience at its core.