Indian Railways: The Indian Railways has some good news for passengers ahead of the peak summer vacation season. From now on, passengers can get their tickets confirmed using the special “Opt Vikalp” feature of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
Indian Railways-What is “Opt Vikalp” Feature?
The “Opt Vikalp” feature allows a user to book a confirmed seat (depending on availability) on a different train that is running on the same route. In other words, users can now book tickets with a better chance of confirmed rail ticket bookings. The best thing is that users don’t have to pay anything extra after they have booked the ticket.
DON'T MISS
The IRCTC Vikalp feature gets activated once the process of chart preparation starts and if there is a vacant seat on another train on the same travel route.
Who Get Benefited The Most?
The Vikalp or Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme is an excellent option for passengers whose tickets remain in the train’s waiting list even after charts have been prepared. The feature helps passengers find tickets on other trains running on the same route.
When the Vikalp feature is activated, the system searches for vacant seats (if available) automatically. If there is a vacant seat, the Passenger Name Record (PNR) gets updated automatically with the new train.
To turn on this feature, users need to turn on the feature BEFORE or AFTER booking tickets. They need to visit the IRCTC mobile app or official website with a user ID and choose their preferred train and travel date. Thereafter, they need to scroll down on the filling page for passenger details and visit ‘Other preferences section’ and click on ‘opt options’ before completing the entire booking process.
New Facility For Persons With Disabilities
In another development, Indian Railways has announced that Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) would be able to travel in unreserved Divyangjan coaches of Mail and Express trains, provided they hold a valid Unique Disability ID (UDID) card.
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