Travel accidents can happen unexpectedly, and recent incidents of attempted train derailments have raised concerns about passenger safety.
From Vande Bharat to Kalindi Express, there have been alarming reports of objects like cylinders and cement blocks being placed on tracks to cause accidents.
The government is actively working to ensure safe travel, but as a passenger, it’s crucial to protect yourself with IRCTC’s travel insurance.
Benefits of IRCTC Travel Insurance
IRCTC offers travel insurance when you book train tickets through their platform. While it’s easy to overlook this option in the rush of ticket booking, opting in can give you insurance coverage of up to ₹10,00,000 at virtually no cost.
You pay just 45 paise per person for this insurance—an almost negligible amount that provides substantial coverage.
How to Avail the Insurance
You can only benefit from this insurance if you select the travel insurance option while booking your train ticket online.
During the booking process on the IRCTC website, you’ll see the option for “Travel Insurance.” By clicking on this and filling in the necessary details, you’ll be automatically enrolled.
Note that passengers who purchase tickets from counters or travel in general class are not eligible for this insurance.
Compensation Details
Under the Railway Travel Insurance scheme, if a passenger dies or becomes permanently disabled due to a train accident, they or their family can claim up to ₹10 lakh.
For partial disability, the compensation is ₹7.5 lakh. Passengers who are seriously injured are eligible for ₹2 lakh, while minor injuries are compensated with up to ₹10,000 from the railways.
How to Claim the Insurance
Only Indian citizens are eligible for this IRCTC travel insurance, as foreign nationals are excluded. To claim the insurance, you must file within 4 months of the train accident.
You can visit the office of the insurance company from which the policy was purchased to submit your claim.
It’s important to ensure that the nominee’s name is correctly filled in during the insurance registration to avoid any issues during the claim process.
