Hello, everyone. I am new to this forum, and I have a query about the Indian railways. I am a senior citizen along with my wife. We both will be traveling to Punjab in February and would like to know if there is a senior citizen concession in railways. I think there are two good trains which go from Delhi to Punjab, Shatabdi, and Shane Punjab. What would be the ticket price for both of these trains?
Hello, welcome to the forum! Overview One of the most extensive railway systems in the world, the Indian Railways, also provides for concessions for its senior passengers. Male senior citizens and female senior citizens travelling via train can avail of this concession. However, this concession is only available for reserved types of seats in the train. If you are going to book a local train with unreserved type of seats, then you cannot avail of the senior citizen concession provided by the Indian Railways. Further, there are some criteria that you need to fulfil prior to availing of the senior citizen concession. Senior Citizen Concession in Indian Railways (Eligibility) In order to avail of the discounted fares allotted by the Indian Railways for senior citizens, you have to fulfil one of the following conditions. For males, to avail of the discounted fares, they should be at least 60 years of age or above. For females, to avail of the discounted fares, they should be at least 58 years of age or above, to be considered as a senior citizen. Just this year, the Indian Railways have also implemented an Aadhaar card based verification system to verify the age of the passenger applying for senior citizen concession. Though right now until the month of March, the Aadhaar card verification system is still on a voluntary basis, the Indian Railways would make it mandatory by the month of April and succeeding months. It is also essential that you bring identification proof on the day of your train journey for verification purposes. Senior Citizen Concession in Indian Railways (Rates) For male senior citizens who fulfil the age requirement mentioned above, they would be entitled to a 40% discount in all classes of reserved trains in the Indian Railways. Likewise, for female senior citizens who fulfil the age requirement mentioned above, they would be entitled to a 50% discount in all classes of reserved trains in the Indian Railways. As mentioned above, you cannot use the concession rates if you're riding a local train on an unreserved class. Male Senior Citizens (Aged 60 and Above) - 40% Concession Female Senior Citizens (Aged 58 and Above) - 50% Concession Senior Citizen Concession in Indian Railways (Delhi to Punjab) For example, in your case, you're travelling from Delhi to Punjab, though the exact location isn't stated, so assuming that it's Amritsar. We can then calculate for the senior citizen concession for the fare rates from Delhi to Amritsar. As you have mentioned, there are different types of trains for this route so we would highlight the different regular rates along with the discounted rates for each type. Train Name and NumberTrain TypeRegular Fare (Class)Concession Fare (Male Senior Citizen)Concession Fare (Female Senior Citizen)Shan-E-Punjab Express Train No. 12497Super FastRs. 170 (Second Sitting)Rs. 115 (Second Sitting)Rs. 100 (Second Sitting)Jabalpur Atari Special Fare Train No. 01707ExpressRs. 375 (Sleeper)Rs. Rs. 210 (Sleeper)Rs. 198 (Sleeper)Saharsa Amritsar Garib Rath Express Train No. 12203Garib RathRs. 445 (AC Chair)Rs. 380 (AC Chair)Rs. Rs. 340New Delhi Amritsar Shatabdi Express Train No. 12031ShatabdiRs. 790 (AC Chair)Rs. 545 (AC Chair)Rs. 485 (AC Chair)Nagpur Amritsar AC Special Train No. 02125AC Super FastRs. 1,070 (3A)Rs. 555 (3A)Rs. 495 (3A)Jallianwalabagh Express Train No. 12379Super FastRs. 1,060 (2A)Rs. 675 (2A)Rs. 580 (2A)Golden Temple Mail Train No. 12903Super FastRs. 2,045 (1A)Rs. 1,285 (1A)Rs. 1,095 (1A)These are the fare differences between the different classes of seats in the trains. You can also compared the discounted rates for both male and female senior citizens with the table above, though they are still subject to changes imposed by the Indian Railways. These are just estimates so it's best to consult the Indian Railways management to learn more about the accurate concession calculations for senior citizens. Senior Citizen Concession in Indian Railways (How to Avail) Just follow the steps below in order to avail of the senior citizen concession for Indian Railways reserved trains. 1. Go to the IRCTC website and login into your account. If you don't have an account yet, simply click on the Sign Up button, fill in the details and provide a valid email address and mobile number to get your activation code. Once done, go to the Plan My Travel page, select your From Station and also your To Station, input your journey date and select the e-Ticket as your Ticket Type. Click on the Submit button thereafter. 2. The list of trains running between the two stations would then be shown. Choose your preferred train by selecting your preferred class of seat next to the train name and number. To book the ticket, click on the Book Now option and it will show you the details of your train ticket. Check if the details are correct and then proceed to the next step. 3. Input the names of the passengers, along with their ages, gender, berth preference and meal. Tick the box asking if the passenger is a senior citizen. Although you have already inputted the age of the passengers, the concession rates won't be automatically given unless this box is ticked. Click on the Next button and your final journey details would be given. 4. On the next page, select your payment option, credit card, debit card, internet banking and cash card are all accepted. Once done, click on the Make Payment button. After making the required payment, you would be taken to the confirmation page, which you can print, also known as the Electronic Reservation Slip (ERS). Alternatively, you can also book your ticket via the booking counters in different railway stations. You can avail of the concession by showing proof of your age to the counter official. Conclusion Yes, Indian Railways has an allotted concession for senior citizens which you can avail of either online or in person when booking your ticket. As of now, the concession is only for reserved type of tickets for trains and has criteria that passengers need to fulfil before being given the discount. When booking online, make sure that you tick the box stating that you are a senior citizen, otherwise, the discount won't be automatically given to your fare rate. I hope this helps!
