Train Online reservation for children over 5?

Christ0phe

Hello,
I am trying to reserve a couple of train tickets on ::IRCTC ::- Home Page but cannot find a way to get the half price for my 11 and 12 years old kids. Yet on the FAQ it says that

At present this site offers Concession tickets only to Senior Citizens. This concession is also offered only on specific request made by the User by clicking the relevant button on the online reservation form. Other concession tickets can be availed at the PRS counters at any Railway Reservation Office.(Children below 12 years need pay only 50% fare, as for normal tickets)

Can I 'cheat' the system by ticking the Senior option for my kids to get the 50% off (but then I have to change their birthday to a 'Senior' birthday)? I have called irctc in Delhi and they said twice that the system calculates the 50% upon the birthdate that are entered: when it sees that the birthday is a kid birthday it automatically applies the 50% off. I tried several times and confirm that it does not.
Did anyone already succeed to book 50% off tickets for kids?

Thanks a lot,
Christophe

shashank.aggarwal

yes I booked for a friends family couple of months back...Children's ticket automatically came cheaper..

(you are not supposed to enter the birth date but the age)

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Christ0phe

Hello,
When you book you can either (re)enter manually the passenger's information (in that case you enter the ages) or use the passengers defined in your profile, in the latter they are recorded by their birthdate.
I do not know why I do not see the rebates applied to my reservations for children...
Christophe

shashank.aggarwal

just go through the procedure and before making the final payment check how much amount is being charged...

vsp27759

Dear ChirstOphe,

While filling-up the "Age" in the respective columns against the name of the individual,
i) if you put the age between 5-11, it will be a Child Ticket.

ii) if you put the age between 12-59, it will be an Adult Ticket.

ii) if you put the age 60 or above 60, it will be a senior citizen ticket.
==============
However, in case of Tatkal Tickets Senior Citizen Concession is NOT extended, but child ticket can be obtained, however, on payment of prescribed tatkal Amount for Adult/Child Tickets.

Christ0phe

Now I can be more complete after few calls to the IRCTC. I cannot say I have caught everything and moreover the prices given on the phone by the IRCTC never correspond to what I pay through their web site, sometimes less expensive on the web, sometimes more.
Here are some facts:

The people at IRCTC say that for SL and 2S classes, adults and kids pay the same price for journeys of less than 200km. 200km is like a limit above which the 50% reduction for kids start to apply. One of the guys on the phone explained as an example that for a 350km journey, a child would pay the 200km full fare plus 150km half fare.

Here are the results of my simulations (through irctc.co.in)

First for Delhi Nizamuddin (NZM) to Agra Canton (AGC) --- 188km
Mahashokal 2190
SL Class adult: Rps 141 (+10 for Resa fee)
SL Class kid: Rps 141
SL Class Senior: Rps 114
Kid reduction in SL class: 0%
Senior reduction in SL class: 20%
Prices given on the phone:
SL Class adult (phone call): Rps91+20 (reservation fee)+20 (superfast train)=Rps 131
SL Class kid (phone call): same!

Taj Express 2280
2S Class adult: Rps 70
2S Class kid: Rps 44
2S Class Senior: Rps 55
Kid reduction in 2S class: 38% (instead of 0% for a less than 200km journey)
Senior reduction in 2S class: 22%
Prices given on the phone:
2S Class adult (phone call): Rps57+15 (reservation fee)+10 (superfast train)=Rps 72
2S Class kid (phone call): same!

Intercity Exp 4212
CC Class adult: Rps 236 (+20 for resa fee)
CC Class kid: Rps 167
CC Class Senior: Rps 179
Kid reduction in CC class: 30% (instead of 0% for a less than 200km journey)
Senior reduction in CC class: 25%
Prices given on the phone:
CC Class adult (phone call): Rps199+25 (reservation fee)+20 (superfast train)=Rps 244
CC Class kid (phone call): Rps100+25+30=Rps 155 (here the 50% off really applies !)


Then for Madurai (MDU) to Varkala (VAK) --- 342km (thus above the 200km threshold)

Quilon Pass 0727
SL Class adult: Rps 86 (+20 for Resa fee) --- half price than Delhi to Agra???
SL Class 2 x adults: Rps 212 !
SL Class kid: Rps 100 !
Kid reduction in SL class: none. They pay 16% more

MS GURUVAYUR 6127
SL Class adult: Rps 149 (+20 for Resa fee)
SL Class 2 x adults: Rps 338
SL Class kid: Rps 141
Kid reduction in SL class: 5%

Finally for Madurai (MDU) to Ernakulam (ERN) --- 509km (thus above the 200km threshold)

MS GURUVAYUR 6127
SL Class adult: Rps 207 (+20 for Resa fee)
SL Class kid: Rps 154
Kid reduction in SL class: 26%

Here are my conclusions:
- I do not understand the system at all
- There are difference –sometimes huge- between prices given on the phone and on the web site, sometimes in my favor sometimes not
- The price for a same class ticket is very train-dependent, but that has already been explained in other threads I guess
- The reductions that apply for kids and given on the web site are a very fuzzy concept
- There are obviously bugs on the web site version

steven_ber

I've not got time to look into your post in depth, but a few things to think about.

1, 'Passenger' trains have different rates to mail/express trains, the whole fare structure is different.

(A 'Passenger train' is a slow train that isn't an express)

2, there is an additional charge for reserving on-line, it's different for some classes, it's a low charge, maybe Rs10-20.

3, there is a minimum distance requirement for some fares, so even if you're only travelling 10kms you will be charged for 200kms, but I didn't realise that also affected child fares.

4, a 'superfast' charge is only added to trains that start with the number 2.

5, some sections of Indian Railways have an additional charge, mainly hill railways and the Konkan Railway, where you pay for (for example) 1.4 x distance travelled.

6, some trains take different routes to get between the same 2 stations, so the distance travelled will be different, thus a different price.
----------------------------


Tirupati - Samalkot costs (in Sleeper Class)

Train 2864 = Rs 268
Train 7487 = Rs 248 (same route, but not superfast)
Train 7209 = Rs 256 (different route)
Train 273 = Rs 154 (passenger train)


So to summarise, too complicated to work out, the Indian Railway website knows what it's doing, so just trust it.

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Christ0phe

Yes it is complicated. But you see in my examples I compare same trains, fare ticket given on the phone and the one from the web site and there are huge differences between those two.
Also the fact that in one of my examples a kid would pay more than an adult makes me suspicious.
And I made another simulation on the same train (Hubli Express, 2725) and found that the threshold was not 200km, but much less than that, otherwise why would you pay less for Bangalore-Tumkur than Bangalore-Arsikere, both below 200km?

Finally I must say it is just for curiosity that I ask the questions as anyway it does not hamper my eagerness to use indian trains with my family, starting... this week!

shashank.aggarwal

I never expect the phone suppport of IRCTC to be very good..!! but IRCTC's site is reliable..in the numerous bookings that we have done...there has never been any discrepancy..

vsp27759

Dear Chirstophe,

There is no SLEEPER CLASS in 2725. It is a Day-time Intercity Express and also a Superfast Express and its name is SIDDHAGANGA INTERCITY EXPRESS!!!

vsp27759

Dear Christophe,

For all Classes, there will be Minimum Chargeable Distance, as detailed below:

IAC.................100 Kms./Rs.400
2A..................100 Kms./Rs.226
FC..................100 Kms./Rs.183
3AC.................100 Kms./Rs.156
AC.Chair Car........100 Kms./Rs.122
Sleeper Class.......200 Kms./Rs.91
Unreserved...........15 Kms./Rs.16
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Whether it is Adult (or) Child (or) Senior Citizens, the above Fares are collected + the Reservation Fee + the Superfast Surcharge + the Safety Surcharge.

vsp27759

Please look at this:
---
Fare Enquiry
You Queried For Train Number Train Name Date (DD-MM-YYYY) Source Station Destination Station
2728 GODAVARI EXP 30-7-2007 HYDERABAD DECAN WARANGAL

Train Type SUPERFAST Distance (kms) 152
All units are in Rupees(Rs.)
Class -- Sleeper
Base Fare 101
Reservation Charges 20
Superfast Charges 20
Other Charges 0
Total Amount 141
(**for Adult)
..............................
Fare Enquiry
You Queried For Train Number Train Name Date (DD-MM-YYYY) Source Station Destination Station
2728 GODAVARI EXP 30-7-2007 HYDERABAD DECAN WARANGAL
Train Type SUPERFAST Distance (kms) 152
All units are in Rupees(Rs.)
Class -- Sleeper
Base Fare 101
Reservation Charges 20
Superfast Charges 20
Other Charges 0
Total Amount 141
(**for Child)
..........................
You Queried For Train Number Train Name Date (DD-MM-YYYY) Source Station Destination Station Concession Code
2728 GODAVARI EXP 30-7-2007 HYDERABAD DECAN WARANGAL SRCTZN
Train Type SUPERFAST Distance (kms) 152
All units are in Rupees(Rs.)
Class -- Sleeper
Base Fare 101
Reservation Charges 20
Superfast Charges 20
Other Charges 0
Total Amount 141
Concession Amount 27
Net Amount 114
(**for Senior Citizen)
..............................