Weddings in India are no less than celebrations, and when it comes to taking the entire wedding procession from one city to another, travel arrangements become the biggest headache. Often people face problems due to buses or personal vehicles. But do you know that Indian Railways and IRCTC allow you to book an entire train or an entire coach for special occasions like weddings? This special service of Railways is called FTR (Full Tariff Rate). Let us know how you can book the entire train for a wedding.
Important rules and deadlines related to booking
To book train coach under FTR service, it is very important to follow some important rules of Railways. You can apply for a booking maximum 6 months (180 days) and at least 30 days before your travel date. You can book up to 10 coaches for a wedding in a single train. Talking about stoppages, these chartered coaches can be added or removed only at those stations where the stoppage of the concerned train is for 10 minutes or more.
how much does it cost
A registration security deposit of ₹50,000 per coach has to be deposited, which is valid for a maximum journey of 7 days. If your journey is for more than 7 days, an additional charge of ₹ 50,000 plus ₹ 10,000 per day per coach will have to be paid. The fare of the coach booked for the wedding procession is decided by the Railways based on the distance covered, class (eg Sleeper, 3AC, 2AC) and actual seating capacity, inclusive of service charge and other taxes. After completion of the journey, this security amount of ₹50,000 is returned to you after adjusting any loss or dues of the Railways.
Complete booking process
You can book coach for wedding both online and offline.
Online booking method
Visit FTR website
First of all go to the official FTR website of IRCTC ftr.irctc.co.in. Keep in mind, for this you will have to create a new user account, which is different from your IRCTC ID.
Enter trip details
After login, select ‘Coach Booking’ option. Here fill the necessary information like date of your journey, train number, route, type of coach (AC or Non-AC) and number of members of the wedding procession.
Reference Number and Payment
After submitting the form you will get an auto-generated reference number. After this you will have to deposit a security deposit of ₹ 50,000 per coach through online within 6 days.
Approval and final payment from Railways
After the registration security deposit is deposited, Railways will check the operations and availability of coaches. You will receive confirmation upon approval. You will have to pay the full fare online at least 48 hours before the commencement of the journey or before the date specified by the Railways.
Offline booking method
If you do not want to book online, you can contact the Station Master or Chief Booking Supervisor of your nearest railway station. You will be required to provide full travel details in a written application form, which they will feed into their FTR system and hand you a receipt.
