New Delhi: Here’s good news for pet parents. The Ministry of Railways announced that they are planning to create an online ticket booking facility for passengers who want to travel with pet dogs and cats on trains.
An online facility for booking tickets for pet dogs and cats will allow passengers to avoid the long queues which they have been facing till now at the parcel booking counters.
As of now, people have to buy tickets for 1st Class AC, cabins or coupes for their pets and get reservations for the whole coupe through the parcel booking counters present on the platform. The reservations can only be done on the day of travel. Passengers are also permitted to carry pets inside a box in the second-class luggage and brake van.
In the proposal, the TTEs were given the power to book pets on board. According to The Statesman, CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems) has been asked by the Railway board to make changes in the software so as to start the online booking facility on the IRCTC website. The report further stated once the online facility starts, passengers will be able to book tickets for pets online on the IRCTC website through their laptops or mobile after the train’s first chart is prepared.
Passengers will be able to book tickets for pets only after their own tickets are confirmed. The railway officials stated that TTE will also be given the authority to book tickets for dogs and cats after the online facility starts.
The pets will travel in the SLR coach, which remains reserved for the guard. The pet parents can provide water, and food to their animals at train stoppages. However, the passengers need to have their tickets confirmed and no refund will be provided to them in case of cancellation. And if the train is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled, the authorities will not refund the animal ticket fee. Large domestic animals like cows, horses and buffaloes will be transported in good trains.
