Indian Railways has opened ticket bookings for the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper train. The train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 17 and will run between Howrah and Guwahati in both directions.

The Railways announced that train number 27576 Kamakhya–Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will start its commercial run on January 22. Train number 27575 Howrah–Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper Express will begin commercial services on January 23.

Guwahati–Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper: How to book tickets 

Passengers can book Guwahati–Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper tickets both online and offline. Travellers can book tickets online via IRCTC website or through the Rail Connect and RailOne mobile apps. 

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On the other hand, travellers who want to book tickets offline, can visit Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters at railway stations.

Vande Bharat Sleeper: Steps to book tickets online

  1. Create an account on the IRCTC website if you don’t have one.
  2. Log in with your username and password.
  3. Enter your journey details – From and To stations, Date of travel, and Class.
  4. Click on Search to see the list of available trains.
  5. From the list, choose Vande Bharat SL and select the class shown for the train.
  6. Click Book Now to start the booking process.
  7. On the Passenger Reservation Page, check that the train name, stations, class, and date are correct.
  8. Enter passenger details, including name, age, gender, berth preference, etc.
  9. Click Continue after filling in the information.
  10. The screen will then show ticket details, total fare (including GST and convenience fee), and berth availability.
  11. After verifying everything, click Continue again to proceed with payment.
  12. Choose your preferred payment option from the available gateways.
  13. Once the payment is successful, the Ticket Confirmation Page will appear, completing your booking.

Only confirmed ticket holders can board

Only passengers with confirmed tickets will be allowed to board the Howrah–Guwahati Vande Bharat Sleeper train. Those with RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation), waitlisted, or partially confirmed tickets will not be permitted to board, according to the Railway Board.

All berths will be available for booking from the first day of the Advance Reservation Period (ARP). The minimum fare will be calculated for 400 km, and fare rounding will follow the existing Indian Railways rules.

The Vande Bharat Sleeper train will offer only four reservation quotas: Ladies quota, Persons with Disabilities (PwD) quota, Senior Citizen quota, and Duty Pass quota. No other quota will be applicable on this train.

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The Railway Board also said that to ensure refunds can be processed within 24 hours of cancellation, all payments will be accepted only through digital modes. 

“When a ticket is purchased at the window, the preferred payment mode shall be digitally. In case a customer is unable to make digital payment, the refund against cancellation will be made as per normal terms,” it said.