VIJAYAWADA: After several airlines reduced their fares and brought them on a par with AC class ticket prices offered on select trains, the Indian Railways has come out with the idea of offering `railway points' to its consumers. This is akin to the frequent-flyer loyalty points added to the regular flyers.

Interestingly, the railways too targeted the commuter group, which travels only in air-conditioned compartments. The scheme titled `Shubh Yatra,' announced recently by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), offers railway points on first class AC, second class AC, executive chair car and AC chair car travel to those who commute regularly on trains and book their tickets through www.irctc.co.in, the official website of the corporation.

These points can be redeemed on purchase of train tickets for the same classes.

Wanna avail yourself of the facility of railway points? Logon to the IRCTC's website, register your `Shubh Yatra' membership for Rs. 500, which will help you earn railway points.

Each railway point is equivalent to Re.1 of your ticket fare when redeeming these points for future ticket purchases. The points will be valid for a period of three years from the date of member's registration. Once you have accumulated 500 railway points in your account, you can use these points to get free tickets.The points will be redeemed only when you are one of the passengers on the ticket.

Forfeiting the points

As per the Indian Railway Commercial Rule, you forfeit 50 per cent of the railway points if you cancel a redeemed ticket before the date of journey. The cancellation can be done only at physical counters, where the railway points can be credited back to the account and there will be no cash refund.

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