IRCTC Allows Vande Bharat Train Ticket Booking 15 Minutes Before Departure on Certain Routes - Here's the Process to Reserve Your Seat
Last-Minute Booking for Vande Bharat Trains Now Possible
Indian Railways has introduced a new feature that allows passengers to book tickets for the Vande Bharat Express up to 15 minutes before the train departs from their boarding station. This initiative aims to enhance passenger convenience and streamline hassle-free current bookings at en route stations for Vande Bharat Express trains.
Currently, this real-time booking feature is presently available for eight trains under the Southern Railway zone, covering key destinations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The eligible routes include Mangaluru Central – Thiruvananthapuram Central, Thiruvananthapuram Central – Mangaluru Central, Chennai Egmore – Nagercoil, Nagercoil – Chennai Egmore, Coimbatore – Bengaluru Cantt., Mangaluru Central – Madgaon, Madurai – Bengaluru Cantt., and Dr MGR Chennai Central – Vijayawada.
Passengers can choose their preferred class, either Executive or Chair Car, when booking Vande Bharat Express tickets. The booking process involves visiting the IRCTC website (www.irctc.co.in) or opening the IRCTC Rail Connect app, logging in with your existing IRCTC ID or creating a new account, entering travel details, verifying seat availability, making payment online, and receiving an e-ticket confirmation via SMS, email, and WhatsApp.
Notably, this last-minute booking option is also applicable for intermediate stops, allowing passengers to book tickets up to 15 minutes before the train's arrival at that station, even if the train has already departed from its origin. This feature increases seat utilization efficiency and offers flexibility for last-minute travelers.
The system has been upgraded in the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) to provide real-time updates on seat availability. The longest-distance Vande Bharat train (Pune to Ajni) follows this class configuration and pricing, with fares starting from approximately Rs 1,500 for Chair Car and Rs 3,000 for Executive Chair Car.
In addition to this new feature, Indian Railways has also introduced a "Round Trip Package for Festival Rush" scheme offering a 20% discount on the base fare of the return journey for confirmed bookings. This scheme applies to both onward and return travel, provided they are for the same passengers, travel class, and origin-destination pair.
This new facility is especially useful for travelers making last-minute plans, offering them the opportunity to book Vande Bharat train tickets online just 15 minutes before departure. As the response to this initiative continues to grow, the rollout may expand further to include more routes, offering even more passengers the convenience of last-minute bookings.
With this new technology, last-minute sports enthusiasts can now book Vande Bharat Express tickets, even up to 15 minutes before the train departs, offering flexibility similar to live sports events. The booking process for this tech-friendly train service includessteps like choosing preferred class, visiting IRCTC website or app, and verifying seat availability, among others.
