Millions of people travel by train every day, but many people might not be aware of the free services provided by Indian Railways. Indian Railways offers various facilities to its passengers without charging any extra cost, including free food, free bedding, and luggage-related facilities.
In all AC categories of Indian trains, including First Class, AC 2-Tier, and AC 3-Tier, Indian Railways provides a free bedroll, which includes a blanket, a pillow, two-bed sheets, and a face towel. However, Garib Rath Express charges an extra ₹25 for the bedroll. If you don't get the bedroll, you can file a complaint.
If you fall ill or feel unwell during your journey, you can ask the frontline staff, ticket collector, or train superintendent for medical assistance. They will provide you with free medical facilities. You can also seek online help through the Rail Yatri mobile application.
If you are traveling by Rajdhani, Duronto, or Shatabdi trains and the train is delayed by more than two hours, you can get free food on board.
Indian Railways provides locker rooms and cloakrooms at stations. You can store your luggage in these rooms for up to one month. You need to pay a fee for this facility.
Indian Railways provides free WiFi at many stations. So, if your train is delayed or you arrive early, you can enjoy free WiFi at the station.
Indian Railways also provides insurance coverage to passengers at a low cost to protect them from any accidents that might occur during the journey. To avail of this insurance, you need to pay a small amount while booking your ticket.
If you are not provided with any of these facilities during your journey, you can file a complaint online or offline. You can take a complaint notebook from the station master's office, parcel office, goods shed, town booking office, or reservation office, and write down your problem. You can also file a complaint on pgportal.gov.in. Alternatively, you can call the helpline numbers 139, 9717630982, and 011-23386203 to register your complaint.
