Indian Railways unreserved tickets: printout rule clarified

Indian Railways unreserved tickets do not come with any new requirement to carry a printed copy, the Railways said on Friday, addressing reports that suggested the rules had changed, as reported by The Economic Times. In short, the existing approach remains the same for both paper and app-based bookings.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Indian Railways unreserved tickets: what the clarification covers

Indian Railways said it has not issued any instruction making a printout mandatory for unreserved tickets. It added that the way a ticket is verified depends on whether the passenger is travelling with a physical ticket (The Indian Express).

Where an unreserved ticket exists in paper form—either bought offline as a printed ticket or booked online and then printed—passengers are expected to carry that hard copy during the journey, in line with existing norms.

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But if the ticket is booked digitally and no printout is taken, travellers may show the digital ticket on the same mobile device used for the booking.

Service upgrades on Vande Bharat trains

Alongside the printed ticket rule clarification, Indian Railways also pointed to wider service upgrades focused on passenger experience. In an official Ministry of Railways release, the Railways highlighted the rollout of regional cuisines on Vande Bharat trains, aimed at offering authentic local flavours and reflecting India’s culinary diversity (Railway Supply).

Passengers on various routes are now being served dishes such as Maharashtra’s Kanda Poha, South Indian Dondakaya Karam Podi Fry, and Andhra Pradesh’s Andhra Kodi Kura, among other menu additions.

Route-wise highlights from regional cuisine menus

Several Vande Bharat Express services now include route-linked regional specialities:

• Gujarati offerings include Methi Thepla on the 20901 MMCT-GNC Vande Bharat Express and Masala Lauki on the 26902 SBIB-VRL Vande Bharat Express.
• Odisha’s Aloo Phulkopi is available on the 22895 Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express.
• Kerala’s spread—white rice, Pachakka Cherupayar Mezhukku Perati, Kadala Curry, Kerala Paratha, plain curd and Palada Payasam, along with Appam—is available on the 20633/34 Kasargod-Trivandrum Vande Bharat Express and the 20631/32 Mangalore-Trivandrum Vande Bharat Express.
• West Bengal items include Kosha Paneer on the 20872 ROU-HWH Vande Bharat Express and Aloo Potol Bhaja on the 22895 HWH-PURI Vande Bharat Express.
• Bihar dishes include Champaran Paneer on the 22349 PNBE-RNC Vande Bharat Express and Champaran Chicken on the 22348 PNBE-HWH Vande Bharat Express.

The updates also list Dogri cuisine such as Ambal Kaddu and Jammu Chana Masala on trains 26401-02 and 26403-04. Kashmiri specialities including Tomato Chaman and Kesar Phirni are being served on trains 26401/02 and 26403/04 SVDK-SINA Vande Bharat Express. Maharashtra’s Masala Upma is available on the 22229 CSMT-MAO Vande Bharat Express, and West Bengal’s Murgir Jhol is being served on the 22302 NJP-HWH Vande Bharat Express.

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