NEW DELHI: At last e-ticketing for rail travel has arrived. The Railways will launch the scheme from August 12. To start with, it will be available for trains New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express (2005/2011) and Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express (2006/2012).

The need for carrying the regular hard paper ticket will be done away with.

The photo identity card of the traveller along with the printout of the Electronic Reservation Slip (ERS) will be enough.

The service can be availed of by the customer on the website www.irctc.co.in by selecting the "e-ticket" option.

The passenger has to give details of one of the following: voter identity card, passport, PAN card, driving licence or Central/State Government employee ID card. For foreigners and non-resident Indians, the passport alone will do. The payment options consist of internet banking facilities offered by 15 major banks and the cash card. The passenger has to carry the same photo identity card as given during the booking and also the Electronic Reservation Slip (ERS) printout.

If the passenger has the identity card but not the ERS printout, he can travel after paying a fine of Rs. 50 for a ticket, if his name is available on the chart. He must also carry a platform ticket if the printout is not available with him.

If the name is not available on the chart, the passenger is not authorised to board the train and he will be treated as a ticketless traveller.

If, at the time of booking, the status is waiting list, the ticket will not be booked. E-ticket will be available only for confirmed/RAC tickets.

E-tickets can be cancelled only through the Internet till chart preparation of the train, normally four hours before the scheduled departure. Cancellation is not allowed at railway counters.

The process would be confirmed online and the refund credited back to the account used for booking. For partial cancellations, the user should ensure that the modified ERS is printed separately.

For refunds on e-tickets cancelled after the preparation of the charts, the user has to send an e-mail to etickets@irctc.co.in giving full details. It would then be processed by the IRCTC with the Railway administration and the refunds would be credited back to the user's account.

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