In a single day, millions of passengers across India use the services of the Indian Railways to travel from one place to another. There are many rules that have been set up by the railway department to ensure a passenger has hassle-free travel. There are, however, a mind-boggling number of people who do not know about these rules that existed in the Indian Railway.
- The Rule of Two Stations
If by any chance you cannot make it on time for your train’s departure from the station, the ticket collector cannot allot your seats to anybody else for at least one hour, or till the train cross two stations. So you could travel to the either of the next two stations by road and reach before the train arrives there. However, if the train has already passed the station, then the TTE can assign the seat to the next person on the waiting list. If you have missed your train and wanted to get a refund, you need to file a TDR at the station. You will get a refund of about 50 percent of the base charge of the ticket.
- Sleeping hours for occupants of the middle berth
For all those passengers who have been assigned a seat on the central berth cannot keep the berth up at all times. He should close the berth from 6 AM to 10 PM so that those who are sitting in the lower berths should not be discomforted. It is an offence if the berth is up during the mentioned hours.
- Carrying Birds on the Train
Firstly, it should be noted that the transport of exotic bird species including parrots is an offence and not allowed in the Indian Rail. If you have a pet bird and want to transport it along as you travel, there are some rules you ought to follow. You cannot keep the caged bird with you inside the regular coach. Your bird will be treated as freight, so it will be held in the luggage coach. Ensure you leave enough food and water in the cage since the railway officials do not tend to care much.
- Toilets for the train drivers
It is shocking to know that the locomotive drivers are not allowed to take unscheduled restroom breaks. This rule was enforced so that there are no unnecessary train delays in the Indian Railway live running status. But the new budget has mentioned adding restrooms in the driver room, but the implementation has not begun.
- Extending the Journey
During the holiday seasons and peak seasons, passengers might have to buy tickets to an earlier station than their needed destination. This generally happens because of the unavailability of tickets. There is a way out of this; passengers can extend their journey in the middle of the trip. All you have to do is tell the TTE that your destination station is changed, and this should be done before you reach. The TTE will charge you the extra ticket cost and generate a receipt. You might be allotted a different seat, though. In case there is non-availability of tickets, you might have to spend the rest of your journey in the chair car coach.