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Traveling by Indian Railways is a very common thing for all of us, but sometimes small rules related to our travel create big questions in our mind. It often happens that a long distance train runs much late than its scheduled time table and reaches a railway station at two or three o’clock in the night. In such a situation, the question arises that if the passenger has to wait for morning at the station itself or has to wait for some other connecting train or bus, will it be mandatory for him to buy a platform ticket to stay in the railway station premises? Every passenger should have complete information about these rules of Railways so that any kind of inconvenience can be avoided.
As per Indian Railways rules, a railway station is a public and restricted area where only holders of valid journey tickets or platform tickets are allowed to enter and stay. When a train reaches a station at night or much later than the scheduled time, passengers are faced with the challenge of following security and station premises rules. Strict rules have been made to control the crowd of unauthorized people at railway stations. If any person is found within the station premises without any valid ticket or travel document, he may face violation of rules.
According to the clear guidelines of the Railways, if a passenger is deboarding a train and leaving for his destination or exiting the station, he must have a valid train ticket for that journey. The passenger should leave the station premises immediately after deboarding the train. However, if the train arrives at such a time of night when it is not safe to go out or public transport is not available, and the passenger has to wait for a few hours in the waiting room or platform of the station, then in such a situation the railway rules are a bit practical, but demand clear proof.
If your train reaches the station at midnight and you want to stay there till morning, you must have your journey ticket which proves that you have recently arrived at that station by train. According to railway officials and ticket collectors, if a passenger has a valid train ticket which has expired at that station or for onward journey, then normally he is allowed to stay at the station. Despite this, if you roam around on the platform for a long time or stay with people who have come from outside the station to receive someone without a ticket, you can be asked for a platform ticket by the TC and if you do not have one, you can also be fined.
Platform tickets are issued primarily to those entering the platform area of a station to drop or pick up passengers. If you have deboarded the train and have an onward connecting journey ticket, or you are scheduled to catch another train after a few hours from the same station, it is mandatory for you to have a valid journey ticket with you. It is also necessary to show a valid ticket to use the retiring rooms or waiting halls at railway stations. If you do not have a valid travel ticket and you stay at the station for a long time, for security reasons the railway staff may ask you to show the platform ticket.
Security is very tight at railway stations at midnight. Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police constantly monitor the stations. In such a situation, if any person is seen sitting on the platform without a ticket or without any concrete reason, then inquiries can be made. If you are stuck at the station because your train is late, your old train ticket is your best proof. Railways never expect any passenger to go out unprotected without means at midnight, hence reasonable accommodation facilities are provided to the passengers within the station premises, provided they have the documents related to their journey.
To avoid any such unexpected situation in future, it is very important to keep some important things in mind. First of all, whenever you get down from the train at a station, keep your travel ticket safe with you and do not throw it away immediately, as the ticket may be required till you completely exit the station. If your train is running very late and you are going to spend the night at the station, you can inform the inquiry center or RPF help desk present at the station about your situation. By having correct knowledge of railway rules, you can remain completely safe from unnecessary fines and penalty proceedings.