Many a time, passengers have several queries about their trains and booked journey tickets. These include enquiries about trains running between different stations, live train running status, PNR status, arrival time, departure time, current delay, seat availability, train time table, and ticket fare, to mention a few. Indian Railways offers facilities and train enquiry numbers to help you get answers to these queries and the latest updates. Currently, passengers can avail:
- SMS train enquiry services by sending SMS to 139
- Call or voice information enquiry services by dialing 139
- Online train enquiry services through websites and mobile apps
Here’s a comprehensive overview of each of these services offered by Indian railways and how to avail them.
1. Indian Railway SMS Enquiry Services
Passengers can get information about trains, PNR status, seat availability, arrival and departure time, delay, running status, etc. on their mobile phones by sending an SMS to 139. Each enquiry has a specified format in which the SMS must be sent.
- PNR Status SMS Enquiry
- Format: PNR < 10 Digit PNR Number >
- Example: PNR 1234567890
- Arrival or Departure SMS Enquiry
- Format: AD < Train Number > < STD code of Station >
- Example: AD 12008 080
- Seat Availability SMS Enquiry for General Quota
- Format: SEAT < Train Number > < Date of Journey in DDMMYY > < STD Code of the Source Station > < STD Code of the Destination Station > < Class of Travel* > < Quota** >
- Example: SEAT 12008 150719 080 044 CC G
- Seat Availability SMS Enquiry for Tatkal Quota
- Format: TSEAT < Train Number > < Date of Journey in DDMMYY > < STD Code of the Source Station > < STD Code of the Destination Station > < Class of Travel* >
- Example: TSEAT 12008 150719 080 044 2A
- Live Train Running Status SMS Enquiry
- Format: SPOT < Train Number > or LOCATE < Train Number >
- Example: SPOT 12008 or LOCATE 12008
- Time Table SMS Enquiry
- Format: TIME < Train Number >
- Example: TIME 12008
- Train Schedule SMS Enquiry
- Format: SCHEDULE < Train Number >
- Example: SCHEDULE 12008
- Train Route SMS Enquiry
- Format: ROUTE < Train number >
- Example: ROUTE 12008
- Train Fare SMS Enquiry
- Format: FARE < Train number > < Date f Journey in DDMMYY > < STD Code of the Source Station > < STD Code of the Destination Station > < Class of Travel *> < Quota** >
- Example: FARE 12008 150719 080 044 CC G
- Next Train SMS Enquiry
- Format: NEXT < STD Code of the Source Station > < STD Code of the Destination Station >
- Example: NEXT 080 044
- Train Name or Train Number SMS Enquiry
- Format: TN < Train Name > or TN < Train Number >
- Example: TN < KAVERI EXPRESS > or TN < 12008 >
- For Setting Destination Alert
- Format: ALERT < 10 Digit PNR Number >
- Example: ALERT 1234567890
* First Class AC – 1A, Second Class AC -2A, Third Class AC – 3A, Sleeper Class – SL, AC Chair Car -CC, Second Seater -2S
** G for General Quota, CK for Tatkal Quota
2. Indian Railway Voice Enquiry Services (Enquiry by Dialing 139 from Phones)
In addition to SMS, you can also dial 139 from your mobile phone and landline and get your enquiries answered through Indian Railways Interactive Voice Response (IVR) services. This is an all-India railway enquiry number and you can get information about a range of basis services such as PNR status enquiry, arrival and departure enquiry, seat availability enquiry, etc. by dialing 139. For enquiries other than these, you can also talk to a customer care executive.
Indian Railways 139 Call Menu
To get information on trains, you must first dial 139 from your phone and then choose a language of your choice by:
- Pressing 1 for information in Hindi
- Pressing 2 for information in English
- Pressing 3 for information in regional languages
- After choosing the language, you must press 2 for all railway related enquiries. The select menu for railway related enquiries is as follows:
- For PNR status: Press 1 > Enter your 10 digit PNR number
- For information on arrival, departure, cancellation and diversion status of trains: Press 2 > Follow the instructions
- For seat availability: Press 3 > Follow the instructions
- For fare enquiry: Press 4 > Follow the instructions
- For booking tickets through credit and debit cards: Press 5 > Follow the instructions
- For cancellation of reserved train tickets: Press 6 > Follow the instructions
- For wake-up call or destination alert: Press 7 > Follow the instructions
- For booking wheelchairs at stations: Press 8 > Follow the instructions
- For booking meals: Press 9 > Follow the instructions
How to Speak to an Indian Railways Customer Care Executive?
You can speak to a customer care executive of Indian railways by dialing 139 from your mobile and landline. The steps are as given below:
- Dial 139
- Choose language
- Press star (*) to speak to a customer care executive
3. Train Enquiry through Online Resources
Besides the train enquiry services offered through SMS and IVR, you can also look for information through Indian Railways official websites and apps. Here is a list of Indian Railways official sites and the services offered through each of them.
|
Site / Link |
Services and Enquiries |
|
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) |
Online e-Ticket booking and cancellation, PNR status enquiry, seat availability enquiry, enquiry about trains between stations, train schedule enquiry, train live running status enquiry, etc. |
|
National Train Enquiry System (NTES) |
Live train running status enquiry, live station enquiry, enquiry about trains between stations, train schedule enquiry, enquiry about cancelled trains, rescheduled trains, diverted trains, and average delay of a train in the past 7 days, etc. |
|
Indian Railways Passenger Reservation Enquiry |
PNR enquiry, enquiry about reserved trains between stations, seat availability enquiry, fare enquiry, reserved train schedule enquiry, etc. |
Train Enquiry FAQs:
Q: What is the Indian Railways enquiry number for queries related to trains and booked tickets?
A: The Indian Railways enquiry number for all queries related to trains, journey, booked tickets, etc.is 139. This is an IVR service and you have to follow voice instructions as given on your phone after dialing 139.
Q: Are the SMS texts I send to 139 for different train enquiries chargeable?
A: Yes. You will be charged ₹ 3 per SMS.
Q: When dialing 139, should I add any STD code?
A: No. The railway enquiry number 139 is an all-India number and you can dial it without adding any STD code.
Q: Is 139 a toll-free number?
A: No. Charges as per current rates are applicable.
Q: Can I call 139 from my landline?
A: Yes. You can call 139 from your mobile phone as well as landline.
Q: Can I call 139 from anywhere in India?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I get voice information in my regional language?
A: Yes. To get voice information in your regional languages, you must press 3 after dialing 139 from your phone.
Q: Is there a USSD facility for train enquiries?
A: Yes. You can call *139# to avail the USSD services for train enquiries.
Q: How can I contact Indian Railways customer care executives?
A: To contact Indian Railways customer care executives, dial 139 from your phone, choose a language of your preference, and then press *.
Q: Is there a train enquiry app I can use on my mobile phone?
A: You can use the NTES app for enquiries related to live train running status, cancelled trains, rescheduled trains, train schedule, diverted trains, etc. It is available for Android, iOS, and Windows devices. To find out seat availability, fare, trains running between different stations, etc. you can use IRCTC Rail Connect. Besides these two official train enquiry apps, there are several third-party apps with useful features.
Q: Can I call or SMS 139 at night?
A: Yes. The train enquiry number 139 offers round-the-clock services.
