Understanding Reservation Forms.

CliveG

Steven - thanks for all the valuable info - the system makes getting a train from Portsmouth to London look like a doddle butI suppose you just throw yourself into it and hope you come up swimming!

SpaceRiker

Nice to see such heavy documentation on that heavily used piece of paper.

Most of the times, if you can write extra helpful information on the form and prompt about it to the person at the counter, things go pretty well. They would also show you what they see on their screen (or you could peep at it), and help you make choices (with dates, classes and seats/berths). It is not nice for the people waiting in the queue behind you, though.

It has been almost 5 years now since I have stood at a reservation counter, but you just never know when you'd need to go back there.

Thanks!

NowInBangalore

Train# 2964 Mewar Express, Udaipur - Delhi, 2AC

I had to make 2 separate reservations, for 8 people. One family was put in coach A1, and the other 4 people in Coach HA1. Since the reservations were made one after the another, why they did not put all of us in one coach? Will this HA1 be very far from A1?

I probably should apply for a job in the Indian Railways software division, just so I am able to understand their Operational logic.

NIB

vsp27759

Dear NIB,

##You have NOT specified the (i) Date of Booking & (ii) Date of Departure. Can you specify them?

##Out of the two bookings which one was made first?

##How many berths were available when you checked the availability?

##May I know the reason why you have NOT opted for Group Booking? If my understanding is correct, you must have opted for
E-Tickets in two spells.
----------------------------
##Had you gone to a PRS Counter, the clerk, subject to availability, would have kept the 8 passengers in the same coach, even if booking is done in two spells.

##Had there been only one 2AC Coach, all the 8 passengers, subject to availability, would have been in the same coach, even if booking is done in two spells (**E-ticketing or PRS Counter)
===========

##There is no Coach Choice Option in E-Ticketing.

##The PRS always aims at 'compact allotment', that is, keeping the passengers in the same place, however, subject to availability.

##When you have gone for second booking, perhaps, there would NOT have been four vacancies in the same place to accomodate all the four passengers. Hence, these four passengers must have got accomodated in the adjacent coach.

##In any case, HA1 and A1 will be next to each other and there will be vestibule.

##By the way, in 2AC portion of HA1, there will be only 20 berths.

NowInBangalore

Dear VSP,
Departure: Dec 31st
Booking date: Oct 29 morning, just few minutes back.

Party1 was done first, that got HA1 coach (#3,4,5,6).
Party2 was done soon after, that got A1 coach(#37,38,39,40).
At first I thought it maybe because I had marked the checkbox "Consider for auto upgrage" for Party1 and not for Party2, so I went back and did another reservation for Party1 without the box checked, still I got HA1(19, 20(both side berths), 16, 18)! I have since cancelled this 3rd reservation.

Why are they moving back and forth between coaches?

41 berths at the very beginning.
After, I booked Party1, it became 37, After Party2 reservations, it became 33.

I did it all online. It lets you book only 6 people each time.

----------------------------
Strange you say that, because for one of my previous trips, when I had gone to the PRS counter, they could not even guarantee that I would be allocated only Upper or Lower berths, NO side berths, even when there were some 25 berths left. They told me it is all system generated, they have no control over it.

My current situation is really not a big deal. I am happy that at least each party is together. Still I would be interested to know the logic used.

NowInBangalore

Not to mention, IM is so sweet, I googled "what is HA1 in indian railways", and India Mike came up with the first answer! Thanks, Steven_ber and VSP.

steven_ber

Did it say Side Upper and side lower next to 19 & 20?

VSP, look at the HA diagram below, have you ever seen the numbering (in the 2A portion) the other way around (19 & 20 next to the vestibule)?

Because I find it strange that party 2 was given 4 berths together (in A1), yet party 1 was given berths seperated by the aisle.















Edit, NowInBangalore, the berth layout diagrams linked to the first post are mostly wrong, but I've since done correct berth layout diagrams for all classes.

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NowInBangalore

Steven_Ber,
Yes, it said:
HA1/0019/SL
HA1/0020/SU
HA1/0016/UB
HA1/0018/UB

I will check out your new berth layouts.

Thanks,
NIB

vsp27759

Dear NIB,

Strange you say that, because for one of my previous trips, when I had gone to the PRS counter, they could not even guarantee that I would be allocated only Upper or Lower berths, NO side berths, even when there were some 25 berths left. They told me it is all system generated, they have no control over it.

##This is partially correct, to the extent that they had no control over allotment, but this situation arises when the availability is 'less'.

##But they do have the option of Coach Choice, which means, subject to availability, they can 'adjust' the passengers in the same coach. In so far as 'compactness' (**proximity) is concerned, PRS has the final 'say'.

vsp27759

Dear Steven,

##I have personally seen the HA1 Coach.

##19 is LB and 20 is UB. It goes like this:
---
1/LB...2/UB....3/LB...4/UB......5/SL.....6/SU

7/LB...8/UB....9/LB...10/UB......11/SL...12/SU

13/LB...14/UB....15/LB...16/UB.....17/SL.....18/SU

19/LB.......20/UB

##This 19 & 20 face the partition that separates IAC and 2AC in HA1 Coach.

steven_ber

That's the same layout I've seen each time I've used an HA carriage, but it's not the same as the ticket below.