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India has the fourth-largest rail network in the world. This 170-year-old network offers one of the most affordable and convenient forms of transportation for both long and short-distance journeys across the country. The Indian Railways is known for its efficient and customer-oriented services including the option to safeguard your journey with travel insurance. Yes, you read it right.
Mostly, travel insurance is associated with long-distance flight travel. You may have heard of international travel insurance and student travel insurance that are applicable if you are travelling overseas for leisure or work, and higher studies respectively. You may opt for a single-trip travel insurance plan or multi-trip travel insurance depending on how frequently you fly out. All these travel insurance coverages are related to air travel.
However, not many know that they can buy travel insurance for their train journey as well. If you are one of them then here’s everything you need to know about train travel insurance.
Table of Contents
What is train travel insurance?
You can buy travel insurance while booking a train ticket online using the IRCTC app. Buying insurance is optional and is available only if you buy the tickets online. You cannot buy travel insurance offline at the railways’ ticket counter or through a travel agent. When buying train tickets online, you can buy travel insurance for the trip at a nominal price. This amount is added to your final ticket price. The Indian Railways’ travel insurance offers coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh.
Why do you need train travel insurance?
Train journeys have been an integral part of our lives. Therefore, no surprise that most of us take train travel and the inconveniences caused due to them for granted. Meanwhile, air travel became mainstream only recently, often arising thoughts of uncertainties among not-so-frequent travellers. Flight delays and cancellations and loss of baggage are among the common problems faced by air travellers. What most of us ignore are the frequent troubles such as train delays, cancellations and even accidents and mishaps related to rail travel. As a result, we forgo covering our train trip with travel insurance.
According to a National Crime Records Bureau report, in 2020 alone, India recorded more than 13,000 train accidents and 12,000 passenger deaths. Furthermore, many train journey-related issues can cause consequential losses. Having travel insurance can help in minimising losses and being stress-free during your trips.
How does IRCTC offer travel insurance?
The IRCTC offers train travel insurance for Rs 0.35 for a sum insured of Rs 10 lakh. Also, it is viable across all train ticket classes. The sum insured of Rs 10 lakh is offered in case of the death of the traveller.
Listed below are the insurance compensation features of IRCTC train travel insurance:
- A sum of Rs 10,00,000 is given in case of death or permanent disability
- A sum of Rs 7,50,000 is given in case of partial disability
- A sum of Rs 2,00,000 is offered in case of injury needing hospitalisation
- A sum of Rs 10,000 if the mortal remains of the deceased have to be transported
What does the train travel insurance cover?
The train travel insurance offered by the IRCTC covers the following:
- Terrorist attacks
- Burglary
- Robbery
- An accident leading to death or disability or injury
- Rioting
- The medical cost of treating injury due to train accident
Go through the inclusions and exclusions of the policy before opting for travel insurance.
What are the eligibility criteria to avail of IRCTC travel insurance?
Given below are the eligibility criteria for train travel insurance:
- You will have to book the ticket online via the IRCTC app or the IRCTC website
- You cannot avail the of travel insurance if you book your tickets at the railway counter or via an agent.
- Booking tickets online through agents may or may not include the insurance plan until you mention categorically to include the travel insurance for your trip.
- This insurance product is available only for Indian citizens. If you are a foreigner travelling by train in India, you cannot access this facility.
- Furthermore, you can avail of train travel insurance for children below the age of five years.
Conclusion
You can enjoy travel insurance coverage by paying just 0.35 paise per ticket. With less than a rupee, you can keep yourself and your family protected against any major mishap or unexpected events during a train journey. Note that you get insurance coverage for death, disability and accident. Unlike flight travel insurance, you cannot raise a claim for baggage loss, delays and cancellations. However, for the cost of insurance, the coverage you get is worth it.
Also Read: What To Look For While Comparing Health Insurance Policies?
