Circular journey tickets 2005-2011

nandupee- you can have overlap in your circular journey... see my other post reply to Train information...

Train information

I am planing for the trip form:

Madhunbani(Bihar) to New Delhi
New Delhi to Jamu Tavi
Jamu Tavi to Amritsar
Amritsar to panipat
Panipat to New Delhi
New Delhi to Bombay
Bombay to Sagar(MP)
Sagar to Mahir
Mahir to Allahabad
Allahabad to Gorakhpur
Gorkahpur to Madhubani

So could you please help how i can made circaular ticket.Please note i have one another person also.

Thanks in advance.

i want circular journey ticket with following route kakinada-Tirupati-katpadi-tirussur-trichy-tanjavur-kombakonam-rameswaram-madurai plz suggest me the route and plz suggest me where i can get the circular ticket for this journey

I assume that there are fixed set of routes. But the one mentioned seems to be customised... I'm confused... Can someone explain what fixed routes mean??

Read this: http://www.indianrail.gov.in/circular_Journey.html
http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/...g=0&id=0,2,282
CJ are either predesigned by the Zonal railways with a preset route and stops or specifically designed by you.

Would some experts members here, please help me put together a Circular Journey itinerary? - if possible from the plan that follows below?

We are a family of 7 returning to India in late November. We have four (4) lots of free time for sight seeing. In between, there will be family reunions and functions.

Tentatively this appears to be the plan...

Slot 1: 30/11 to 12/12 [all up 13 days] hoping to spend 4/5 nights in Manali.

First Leg: Starting in Goa, travel north to Manali via Chandigarh. Cover touristy areas around Manali, on return try to cover Dalhousie, Dharamsala, McLeodGanj, Amritsar then return via Delhi, maybe stop in Agra and back to Goa. [13 days]

Gap for family re-unions - no travel

Slot 2: 18/12 to 22/12 [all up 5 days] Pondicherry pilgrimage.

Second Leg: Starting in Goa, head for Hampi, Bangalore, Mysore, Otty, Chennai, Pondicherry and back via Madurai to Goa. [5 days]

Gap for family re-unions - no travel

Slot 3: 26/12 to 29/01 [exclusively Surat and back]
Third Leg: Goa to Surat family function.

Slot 4: 04/01 to 11/01 [all up 8 days] Allepey-Kumarakom

Fourth Leg: Starting in Goa, travel south to Allepey, cover Jog falls, Munner, Thekkady, Kovalam then back to Goa. [8 days]

After this three (3) members depart from India, four continue holidays.

Gap for family re-unions - no travel

Slot 5: 16/01 to 22/01 [all up 7 days] around Goa (suggestions sought). Train travel not required but venue for sight-seeking and recommendations welcome.

The major hurdle or problem that I envisage is, how would I be able to book Circular Journey Tickets and reservations. I understand that Circular journey tickets can not be booked online although these can be booked 3 months in advance?

Since we are NRIs I guess we are eligible for Circular Journey Tickets. Reading in the forums I could work out the distances, costs and such but I do not have good idea about working ideal routes and trains, since return journeys must not involve the same station twice. For example from Goa to Manali/Dharamsala and back, how do I make it into a circle?

Please give me some leads/ideas to work on. And can an agent or friend/family member in India be able to book a circular journey tickets and reservations on my behalf. I know I could book these when I land in India but then being a high season bookings and reservations will be hard to find and time involving.

Can not think straight, … too many variables...

Thanks,
pennyless

There isn't really a polite way to put this.

You need a serious reality check if you think the above planned tours are in any way doable, I understand that you're all NRI's, and I understand that a tiny minority of Indians and NRI's think that 20-hour train journeys followed by 3-hour tourist visits may in some way be classed as an Itinerary.

But the above Itineraries are way way over the top, and damn cruel on any poor sod you persuaded to join you.

But getting back to the questions of CJT's

You would need to be at Madgaon station 3 months before the first day of any of the trips to be able to book a CJT.

You wouldn't be able to book a CJT for slot 1, for a few different reasons.

Slot 2, if you could manage to do all those journeys in the allotted time, I'd buy you all 1st class Indrail passes, even if you could just touch each place, because you certainly haven’t time to visit anywhere.

Slot 3, maybe manageable, but not eligible for a CJT

Slot 4 may be doable, not really enjoyable, and not eligible for a CJT, but may be doable.


Seriously re-think your plans before you ruin the trip for those travelling with you.

o not go for the circular journey tickets, instead get the tickets from PRS counter or IRCTC, CJT is not worth the hassle, besides, Steven has summed it up really well, and correctly. you wont save much, and the hassle to get the CJT is overwhelming, and since nobody would be there for u to get these tickets from Madgaon, (i assume) this will not be possible. Regarding the itinerary, you should rethink. from Goa to the north, book air tickets, at least till delhi.

Pennyless, get yourself a map of India and study it. India is HUGE. You may have forgotten this detail while living in Australia.

What is a circular journey ticket? What's the problem with booking a return trip?

Return trip = 2 x single (full cost) tickets.

CJT = many journeys, with the total journey distance halved, then charged for 2 x that halved distance. (I'm scratching mmy head as well, and I understand it )

If the total journey was 6,000km, you would be charged for 2 x 3000km journeys (& a reservation charge for each journey).

6 x 500km train trips cost 717 x 6 = Rs4302 (in 2A)

1 x 3000km trip costs Rs2085 (in 2A)

It's all about the cost, though CJT's are difficult to book.

You're allowed a generious number of days to complete all the journeys (based on total distance covered), but all tickets must be booked in advance at the time you purchase the CJT, and you can't cover the same stretch of track twice, though there are a few exceptions.

Once your itinerary is finalized, you can approach the Divisional Commercial Manager of the Division of certain major stations to which the journey commencing station belongs. The Divisional Commercial Manager or the station authorities will then calculate the cost of the tickets based on your itinerary. He will also inform the Station Manager of the same in a prescribed format.
##
##
Please calculate point to point distance, make total and divide by two.
Get fare for this single stretch for the desired class+ safety surcharge+superfast charge and then multyply by two. It is the exact fare. Pay the fare and get the CJT. Now go to the PRS counter for booking on desired dates by paying noral reservation charges only for each leg of journey.
##
##
30% concession is granted on the cost of the Circular Journey Tickets for Senior Citizens when travelling a minimum distance of 1000 kms.

Thanks Steven, drk, wildhorse and dipya
Not including the day we arrive and depart India, we have 57 days’ stay. Steven you summarised it nicely, my plan like I mentioned before is tentative at this stage and you stopped me right in my tracks, pun intended, I will re-jig it and perhaps knock off some stop-overs. But importantly, the more I try to understand the CJT system, the more confounding it gets. One thing that is now clear to me now is that it can not be done online and also that it can not be done via a proxy. To do it 3 months in advance one has to be there in flash and blood so to speak but this alone kind of defeats the whole idea isn't it? If CJT is exclusively for foreigners and expatriates, wouldn't it have been ideally an online process?

Steven, having looked at your list of trains starting in Goa, I realise the distances might not be an issue but most of the time we'd be waiting for the right connecting train at an intermediate station to shuttle from point to point and this would be time consuming and inconvenient. I was kind of eliciting ideas from you experts so as to spruce and trim my itinerary so that it becomes more practical and manageable then just naming names and destinations. Like a day at this place, two days at another, or start here, then head this way then back via another and such, kind of responses. But again you all have responded and I am grateful.

I hope you will prompt me again and offer some more help.

Thanks - pennyless

CJT is certainly not meant exclusively for Foreigners and NRI's, it is primarily meant for Indians locally. You have IndRail passes for Foreigners and NRI's. You may consider Indrail for your needs. Can be booked from where you are now and they will do all your bookings in advance.

Currently, I don't see any way you will be able to book CJT from Aus.

Thanks for your explanation, Steven. I hadn't heard of circular tickets.