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Crores of people travel by Indian Railways every day. Whenever you book an e-ticket for long distance travel through the IRCTC website or app, a small checkbox appears just before payment—‘Travel Insurance (₹0.45 per person)’. Often passengers ignore it without thinking or click on ‘No’ and move ahead. But if a passenger gets injured in an unfortunate train accident, derailment, collision or terrorist incident, this optional insurance of less than 50 paise proves to be a security cover worth lakhs of rupees for the family.
This Optional Travel Insurance Scheme of IRCTC is applicable only to Indian citizens and holders of confirmed, RAC or valid e-tickets. The compensation slabs prescribed by insurance companies in case of a train accident or untoward incident during the journey are as follows:
| Condition of the accident | Insurance Cover Amount (Compensation Amount) |
| Death of passenger | ₹10,00,000 (10 lakh rupees) |
| Permanent Total Disability | ₹10,00,000 (10 lakh rupees) |
| Permanent Partial Disability | ₹7,50,000 (Rs 7.5 lakh) |
| Hospitalization Expenses | ₹2,00,000 (up to Rs 2 lakh) |
| Transportation of Mortal Remains | ₹10,000 (ten thousand rupees) |
Most of the passengers tick the insurance option while booking tickets, but the biggest mistake they make is that they do not update the nominee information. As soon as the ticket is booked, an SMS and link is sent to your registered mobile number and email from the partner insurance company of IRCTC (like SBI General, Liberty General etc.).
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By clicking on that link, immediately enter the name, age and relationship of your parents, spouse or child as a nominee on the insurance company portal.
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If unfortunately the name of the nominee is not registered at the time of the accident, then the legal heirs have to get a ‘Succession Certificate’ made from the court, which takes months and causes unnecessary delay in getting the claim.
From the date of the accident for the victim passenger or his dependents to receive the insurance amount after a train accident. 4 months (120 days) It is mandatory to file a claim within:
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Notify the insurance company immediately: Inform the accident and PNR details on the toll-free number or official email of the concerned insurance company mentioned on the ticket.
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Fill the claim form: Download the ‘Railway Claim Form’ from the company’s website and fill in the complete details of the passenger, bank account and incident.
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Attach required documents:
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Duly signed claim form and canceled check (Cancelled Cheque/Passbook copy).
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Copy of Railway Ticket (e-Ticket) and Boarding Pass.
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Accident Confirmation Report issued by the Railway Administration or GRP.
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In case of death: Death Certificate, Post Mortem Report and Police Panchnama/FIR.
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In case of disability or treatment: Disability certificate, discharge summary and original medical bill issued by a government hospital.
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Submit Documents: Send all attested documents to the claim office of the insurance company by post/courier or upload them on the online portal. After verification, the amount is directly transferred to the nominee’s bank account through NEFT.
It is important to know here that this travel insurance of ₹ 10 lakh by IRCTC is completely separate and independent from the government compensation given by the railway administration. In addition to this insurance, there is a mandatory statutory compensation (usually up to ₹ 8 lakh) given to the dependents of those killed in train accidents by the Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) under the Railways Act, 1989. That is, this insurance of 45 paise, taken at the right time, can ensure double financial security of the family up to ₹ 18 lakh in total.