The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has moved to dispel misinformation circulating on social media. In a post on X, the IRCTC stated that rumors about restrictions on booking e-tickets due to passengers having different surnames are "false and misleading."
This clarification comes in response to online claims suggesting that passengers with surnames unlike the booking user would be unable to book tickets together.
"The news in circulation on social media about restriction in booking of e-tickets due to different surname is false and misleading," IRCTC wrote in a post on X.
So, can you book train tickets for people with different surnames? Absolutely! IRCTC allows users to book tickets for friends, family, and relatives regardless of their surname, as long as the booking is done through a valid IRCTC account.
Standard users can book a maximum of 12 tickets per month. This limit increases to 24 tickets per month for users who have linked their Aadhaar card with their IRCTC account (provided at least one passenger on each ticket is also Aadhaar-authenticated), IRCTC said in the post.
IRCTC also said that one can book tickets on personal user ID for friends, family, and relatives. It is important to remember that tickets booked using personal User IDs are meant only for personal use and should not be sold for profit. Selling these tickets commercially is illegal and is considered an offense under Section 143 of the Railways Act, 1989.
The spread of false information regarding changes in railway policies has consistently caused confusion among passengers. For example, in 2017, the Ministry of Railways emphatically clarified that rumors about new changes starting from July 1, 2017, were entirely incorrect.