Indian Railways Retiring Room: Everything You Need To Know

Indian Railways has always tried to provide its best services to its passengers. One of the many services provided by Indian Railways is the returning room facility. It is known to provide different retiring room services to the passengers across various stations in the country. If you want to know more about the retiring room facility, then you are in the right place. In this guide, you will find all the details that you need to know about this particular service.

Rates and Rules of Railway Retiring Rooms

The rates for the booking and cancellation of the retiring room facility have been published by the Indian Railways.

Safety of the passengers has always been the main priority for the Indian Railway. They try their best to provide a safe journey to the passengers. The railways have asked the passengers to contact the concerned railway zone in case, they face any problem or have any complaints regarding the retiring room facility. As of now, IRCTC has made arrangements only for online booking of railways retiring room. In case you want to cancel; you need to do that online too.

Indian Railways Retiring Room Facility

Railway retiring room facility is provided by the Indian Railways in many stations all across the country. You can avail a retiring room in dormitory, double and single type of occupancy. You also have the choice to choose whether you want an AC or a non-AC room.

You can book these rooms for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum for 48 hours.

Rules of Cancellation for Railway Retiring Rooms

If you want to cancel your retiring room, then you need to follow or agree with the rules given below. So make sure before you opt for the cancellation option you know all the pointers provided.

1. If you cancel your booking in advance of 48 hours, then you are required to bear only 10% of deduction fee.
2. If you cancel your booking in less than 48 hours, then you will be charged 50% of the deduction fee.
3. If you cancel the booking on the day of occupation, then you will be charged a full 100% cancellation fee.
4. You can cancel only room-wise as there is no option for passenger-wise cancellation available.
5. If you book more than one room and cancel a few of the rooms then rules 1, 2 and 3 will be applied on all the canceled rooms as per the case.

Permissible Combinations of Room Accommodation You Can Avail

Before booking a retiring room at an Indian railway, first, take a look at the following chart.

1. One passenger will be allocated only one single bedroom or one bed in a dormitory or one double bedroom.
2. Two passengers can book one double room or two beds in the dormitory.
3. Three passengers can book one single bedroom and one double bedroom or three beds in the dormitory.
4. Four passengers will be allocated four beds in the dormitory or two double bedrooms.
5. Five passengers can avail fives beds in the dormitory or two bedrooms.
6. Six passengers can book six beds in a dormitory or two double bedrooms.

Cost of IRCTC Service Charges

1. You are required to pay a service charge of Rs 24 up to 24 hours for a retiring room.
2. For a dormitory bed for up to 24 hours, you will be charged Rs 10.
3. For a retiring room up to 48 hours, you will be charged Rs 40.
4. You will be charged Rs 20 for a dormitory bed up to 48 hours.

Details of Service Tax Charged

1. You need to pay a service tax at 14.5% of the tariff of the bed or room.
2. The rate of service tax is managed and configurable by terminal application.
3. You are required to pay service tax room and slot wise.
4. If the tariff of the bed or the room is greater or equal to Rs 500 for 12 hours or 24 hours, then you will have to pay service tax.
5. For 48 and 36 hours slot, service tax will be applicable as per the above point.

Details of Extension Charges

If you book a retiring room in a single transaction for more than 24 hours in a combination of slots, then the second slot will be taken as an extension of booking of the first slot. In this case, you will have to pay 25% of the second slot.

Rules to Follow For the Booking of Retiring Room

Here are the things you need to keep in mind.

1. You can book a room only for 2 days and not more than that. You are required to pay the full charges of the rooms or bed irrespective of the period you stay.
2. If you occupy the retiring room for more than one day then you will have to pay 25% more on a subsequent day.
3. While leaving the room, you need to inform the person-in-charge and hand over the keys to him.

General Rules For Hourly Booking

1. Reservation Period

The minimum reservation period is 3 hours, and the maximum is 48 hours.

2. Non-principal Block

• The non-principal block is the 12 hours period from 9 hours to 21 hours. You can book a non-principal book on an hourly basis. The minimum is 3 hours and beyond.

3. Principal Block

• The 12 hours period from 21 hours to 9 hours is called the Principal block.
• You cannot book the principal block partially.

4. Levying of Service Tax

• If the base tariff is more than or equal to Rs 1000, then you will have to pay service tax irrespective of the reservation period.
• If the base tariff is less than Rs 1000 and the reservation period is equal to, or less than 24 hours then you don’t have to pay service tax.
• If the reservation period is more than 24 hours, but the base tariff is less than Rs 1000, then you are required to pay service tax for the additional period after 24 hours.

Online Booking and Cancellation of Railway Retiring Room

At present the Indian Railways are providing online booking and cancellation of retiring rooms. The process to book or cancel a room is simple. In case you are not aware of the steps then you take help from the pointers given below.

Steps to Book Retiring Room Online

1. At first, you need to visit the IRCTC official website.
2. Once the website is open, locate the accommodation tab and click on it. Then select the retiring room option.
3. In this step, you need to enter your Passenger Name record number. You will get this number from your IRCTC booking ticket. Enter the number correctly and then click on the search button.
4. You will be redirected to a new page where you need to decide whether you want to book the room from the source station or at the destination station. If you want to book for source, then select the source button and in case of destination station select the destination button.
5. Now choose the bed type, A/C, check-in/out the date, etc.
6. After entering the details, now check the availability by clicking on the availability button.
7. All the details will be shown on your screen. Now select the room number and the slot duration. Click on the proceed button to continue.
8. The login page will open. Here you need to enter your username and password registered with IRCTC. Of you are not a registered member, then choose the guest login.
9. Now select room numbers for each of the passengers. Then choose the ID card type and card no. Then click on the proceed button to continue.
10. In the end, you are required to make the payment. Click on the make payment option and select your desired payment option.

Steps to Cancel Retiring Room Online

1. The first you need to do is open the official portal of IRCTC.
2. Now log in using your username and password if you are a registered user.
3. In case, you have booked the rooms using a guest ID then you need to log in using your email ID and mobile number.
4. After you log in to the required page, scroll down and find the option booked ticket. Click on the option.
5. Then select retiring room booked ticket option. Now select the ticket that you want to cancel and click on the cancel ticket button.

Konkan Railway Retiring Room Details

Konkan Railway has recently announced that passengers seeking retiring room facilities at Thivim, Udupi and Madgaon stations can now book their rooms online. Here are the terms and conditions that you need to know about.

1. You can book a retiring room from the mentioned stations only when you have a valid ticket.
2. You can book your tickets in 30 days advance excluding the day of occupation and up to 2 days before the occupation.
3. You can book retiring rooms for a maximum of six people.
4. You can avail the retiring room service for a maximum of 48 hours only.
5. At the time of booking, you are required to provide your ID card details. You need to carry the same ID card along with your ticket at the station before entering the room.
6. If you are unable to provide your ID card at the time of occupation, then KRCL has the full rights to cancel your booking.
7. Online cancellation of retiring room service is not available yet. If you want to cancel your booking, then you need to get it done at the station.
8. Postponement or preponement of bookings is not allowed.
9. Cancellation charges

• If you cancel your booking before 48 hours from occupation, then you will be charged 10% of the cancellation fee.
• If you cancel your booking within 48 hours from the time of occupation, then you will be charged 50% of the cancellation fee.
• If you cancel your booking on the day of occupation, then you will get no refund.

10. Passenger wise cancellation option is not available. You can cancel the booking, only room wise.
11. You are required to pay service tax on the tariff of the room/bed as per the rules.
12. The charges for the retiring room may vary from peak season to lean season.
13. If KRCL fails to provide you accommodation on the day of occupation for reasons whatsoever, you will receive a full refund.

Now that you know the details of booking a railway retiring room, it should be easier for you to complete the process. With available options to book and cancel online, things have been made much convenient for the passengers.