How to book train tickets via IRCTC using smartphone?

Nowadays most of the services are online including even those which were not online before has become online now making it easier for the citizens to avail the services while sitting at home at their own convenience. The number of services turned online has increased after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic situation and lockdowns being imposed all over the country compelling people to shift to online mode for their own good. Those services are online now but not before including RTO services, post office services (tracking facility, etc.), vaccination booking, etc..

Online shopping websites are in great demand nowadays. Similarly booking railway tickets is also online. Railway tickets can be booked online from long back but the present situation has made it compulsory for people to book their tickets online without having to go out to book their tickets. Many people will not be knowing how to book train tickets via IRCTC using their smartphone. So here is an article explaining the step-by-step procedure of how to book their train tickets online using their smartphone. 

Citizens can book their train tickets online in 2 ways. The first way is through visiting the official website ( https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search ) or the web portal of IRCTC or Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation and the second way is through their app IRCTC Rail Connect app. The web portal of IRCTC is available for passengers to book their train tickets and also avail for the other related services. IRCTC mainly handles inter-city and inter-state travel bookings across India. 

To book your train tickets through the Railway app, first of all, you have to download the app ‘IRCTC Rail Connect’ from Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store. Other related services of the Railways can also be availed in the app. You can also book your tickets through any other medium such as Paytm, MakeMyTrip, RailYatri, Cleartrip, etc.

Once you have downloaded the IRCTC Rail Connect app, since you are a new user, you will have to register before you start using the app. It is necessary for you to register if you go through the web portal too.

Here is the step by step procedure:

1. Install IRCTC Rail Connect app.
2. Register yourself with the app and log in using your new credentials. 
3. Click on ‘Plan my bookings’ on the homepage. You will have to enter essential information like departure station, designation station, the date on which you are planning and wish to travel, and once you have entered these, click on Search trains. After searching, you will get a list of trains, their timing of departure, and their availability or non-availability. And if it is available, it will be based on classes like Sleeper Class, A/c Coach, etc. 
4. On clicking the class, you will receive the price of the ticket. Click on passenger details once you have decided on the train and required class. 
5. In one booking, you can book tickets only for a maximum of up to 6 adults and 2 infants. After filling in even the destination details, accept the terms and conditions by clicking the boxes and click on ‘review journey’ details.
6. Once you have scanned through information regarding the train, class booked, and passenger information, you can proceed for payment after filling the CAPTCHA code given at the bottom of that particular page. 
7. The final step is to make payment for your tickets. You can pay using any mode such as mobile banking, debit or credit cards, net banking, etc. based on your convenience. 

You will be able to find your tickets in your transaction history only once the payment is done.