Railway insurance on general tickets: What's the deal? check here

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): India is a country where a large population still relies on train travel to reach their destinations. Almost every passenger is familiar with the process, from booking tickets to ordering food, but there are some technical details related to railways that most people remain unaware of. One important question is whether passengers traveling on general tickets are covered by insurance. This information is especially important for those who frequently travel in general coaches.

The truth about general ticket and insurance

If you are among the millions of passengers who travel with a general ticket, you should be aware of this railway rule. According to railway rules, passengers traveling with general tickets are not provided with travel insurance. People often think they are insured upon purchasing a ticket, but this is not the case in the general class. However, the relief here is that in the event of any accident or mishap, compensation is provided to the injured passenger under the Railway Act 1989, but this is a separate process from the travel insurance policy.

Benefit is available only on online booking

Now the question arises: who gets this insurance? The insurance scheme offered by the Railways is only for passengers traveling in reserved classes (Sleeper, 1AC, 2AC, 3AC). A major condition applies to this: This facility is available only to passengers who have booked their tickets online through the IRCTC website. This simply means that even if you have stood in line at the reservation counter at the railway station and purchased a confirmed ticket, you cannot avail the benefits of this insurance scheme. Furthermore, this scheme does not apply to passengers traveling on passenger trains and suburban trains.