Railway sub-agents are allegedly violating rules by claiming to confirm waiting tickets and charging passengers extra money. Under the so-called “Travel Guarantee Charge”, passengers are being charged anywhere between ₹359 and ₹1,000 per ticket. If the waiting ticket does not get confirmed, instead of refunding the money, these agents hand over a “Travel Guarantee Coupon” and ask passengers to choose alternative travel options like buses or flights.
The Ministry of Railways has authorised IRCTC for online ticket booking. While major authorised agents operate under the department, there are also lakhs of sub-agents who facilitate online railway ticket bookings for passengers. Normally, these sub-agents charge ₹20 per passenger for sleeper class and ₹40 for AC class as agent service fees. However, many sub-agents have now started offering a “confirmed ticket guarantee” by charging an additional amount ranging from ₹359 to ₹1,000 depending on the train class and distance. This charge is even mentioned on the passenger’s Electronic Reservation Slip (ERS).
For example:
- On the Shiv Ganga Express (Train No. 12560) between Delhi and Kanpur, the Travel Guarantee Charge for AC-3 class is ₹359 per passenger.
- On the Lucknow Shatabdi Express between Delhi and Kanpur, the Executive Class guarantee charge is ₹909 per passenger.
If the ticket is still not confirmed on the day of travel, these agents offer alternatives like bus or flight tickets. However, if the passenger insists on travelling by train, they are given a Travel Guarantee Coupon valid for a limited period. Importantly, agents do not refund the guarantee charge, even if the ticket remains unconfirmed.
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According to experts, agents and sub-agents are not allowed to sell tickets with a 100% confirmation guarantee. As per the Railway Manual, a waiting ticket can only be confirmed after RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) tickets are cleared, depending on seat availability. Bypassing this process to offer confirmed tickets is against the rules.
Railway Board executive officer Dilip Kumar stated that sub-agents collect Travel Guarantee Charges to provide alternative travel options such as flights, buses, or other transport if the train ticket is not confirmed. Passengers who need to travel urgently often use this option despite the extra cost.
Overall, with 14 to 15 lakh reserved tickets booked daily, this “guaranteed ticket” game is becoming increasingly common.
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