With the festive season in full swing, train tickets for Diwali and Chhath Puja are selling out fast.
Whether you’re trying to book on the IRCTC website or at a railway counter, getting a confirmed seat can be tough.
But there’s good news — you can now book train tickets at your nearest post office!
India Post Offers Railway Ticket Booking Service
In a major move to make travel easier, India Post has partnered with the Ministry of Railways to launch a new ticket booking service.
This means you no longer have to depend only on railway stations or the IRCTC website.
Your local post office can now help you book train tickets for your journey.
At present, this facility is available in 333 selected post offices across India, mainly in rural and semi-urban areas where railway counters are limited.
Simple and Quick Ticket Booking Process
Booking a train ticket through the post office is as easy as visiting a railway counter.
Here’s how it works:
Visit your nearest post office with a Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter.
Provide your travel details — station name, date, train name or number, and class.
Fill out the booking form and make the payment.
The post office staff will confirm your booking instantly and hand you the ticket.
You can book tickets for all classes, including sleeper, AC, and general.
Why This Move Matters
This initiative will greatly help passengers in small towns and villages who don’t have easy access to railway stations.
It also aims to reduce crowding and dependency on online booking, which often faces slowdowns or failures during the festive rush.
New Railway Booking Rule from October 1
The Railways has also introduced a new rule to make the system more transparent.
Now, for the first 15 minutes after ticket booking opens, only Aadhaar-verified users can book tickets on the IRCTC website or app.
Authorized agents will still face a 10-minute booking restriction.
If your IRCTC account is not linked to Aadhaar, you won’t be able to book tickets in that initial 15-minute window.
This step aims to prevent fake bookings and ensure genuine passengers get priority access.
