Are you looking to board a train at a station other than the one you reserved initially? IRCTC now offers the option to change your boarding station. Let’s review the complete details of this online process.
Reserving a train ticket is quite simple these days; you can book from anywhere. However, if unexpected circumstances prevent you from boarding the train at your designated station, the ticket collector (TC) may check for vacant seats and allocate yours to someone else.
If you board the train after it has already left your reserved station, you will not have any rights to claim the seat.
Sometimes, trains do not arrive on schedule, causing delays. Some passengers rush to the next station and attempt to board the train there, thinking that joining at a later stop is acceptable.
However, when the ticket collector checks the seating, if your seat is unoccupied, your ticket may be canceled, and that seat will be offered to another passenger.
To address this issue, IRCTC has introduced the boarding station change facility. Here’s how to change your boarding station.
Railways allow you to change your boarding station for tickets booked through the IRCTC website, and the process is straightforward.
However, to ensure that this works seamlessly, you must provide the correct mobile number during booking.
Here’s how to change your boarding station:
- Visit the IRCTC website.
- In the left menu, select ‘Transaction Type.’
- Choose the ‘Boarding Point Change’ option.
- Enter your PNR number, train number, and the captcha code.
- Tick the Conditions box and click ‘Submit.’
- An OTP will be sent to the mobile number you provided when booking.
- Enter the OTP and click ‘Submit.’
- your ticket details will be displayed once the OTP is verified.
- Review the details, select your new boarding station, and click ‘Submit.’
- The updated PNR details, including the new boarding station, will be shown.
You can change your boarding station only until the chart is prepared. Refund policies will apply if the train is canceled, lacks a coach, or runs more than three hours late. If you updated your boarding station during the booking, you can change it once.
Please note that you cannot board from your original station once you change your boarding point. You may be fined or need to purchase a general ticket to travel in a general coach to your new boarding station.
You cannot change the boarding station online if you purchased a reservation ticket directly at the counter. In this case, please visit your nearest reservation counter.
They will review your request and help modify the ticket details, such as the PNR number. However, like before, you must request this change before the chart preparation. Once the chart is finalized, no changes can be made.