[Book Indian Railways] Preview 2: Checking availability and selecting trains for booking Hrush Sep 22, 2008

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Last week we posted the first preview of Cleartrip’s Indian Railways booking service. In that preview, we introduced the new search form and search results. In this preview, we’ll run through how you check availability and select trains before completing your online booking.

Once you find your preferred train, you need to check the availability of seats before you can book. For each train displayed in our search results, a “check seats” link is also displayed:

Once you click the “check seats” link, availability for your selected train and fare class is updated instantly–displaying the availability status along with the number of seats available and a ‘Book’ button. Cleartrip’s search automatically detects whether you qualify for tatkal bookings and checks for tatkal and general availability simultaneously. You can choose to book tatkal, general or waitlisted tickets online.

Once your selection is final, you can click the ‘Book’ button to complete your booking. It’s possible that your origin or departure city may have multiple railway stations–if this happens, you are asked to select your preferred station(s):

Once you select your stations and click the ‘Continue’ button, you’ll be taken to Cleartrip’s secure and simple 4-step booking process. In the next preview, we’ll walk through the online booking and payment steps.