If you wish to go on a pilgrimage or sightseeing trip to many destinations, Indian Railways provides the facility of booking Circular Journey Tickets. These tickets offer you unique travel flexibility, as they are issued for all journeys (other than regular routes), which begin and complete at the same station. Circular journey Tickets can be purchased for all classes of travel. A maximum of eight break journeys will be admissible on these tickets. Standard Circular Journey Tickets are also offered by Zonal Railways. These cover popular destinations for the Convenience of tourists. The details of route, fare etc., for these tickets can be obtained from nominated stations in each Zonal Railway. You can purchase these tickets if any one of the standard routes suits your convenience. Otherwise you can inform the Zonal Railways about your itinerary and Circular Journey Tickets can be drawn up to suit your requirements.

ADVANTAGES OF BOOKING A CIRCULAR JOURNEY TICKET :

Circular Journey Tickets give you the benefit of telescopic rates, which are considerably lower than regular point to point fare. With these tickets, you not only save time but also the inconvenience of booking ticket at each leg of the journey.

BOOKING PROCEDURE OF CIRCULAR JOURNEY TICKET :

1. Once your itinerary is finalized, you can approach the Divisional Commercial Manager of the Division of certain major stations to which the journey commencing station belongs. The Divisional Commercial Manager or the station authorities will then calculate the cost of the tickets based on your itinerary. He will also inform the Station Manager of the same in a prescribed format.

2. You can purchase Circular Journey Tickets by presenting this form at the Booking Office of the station where you propose to start your journey. After purchasing the Circular Journey Ticket, you must approach the Reservation Office to reserve your accommodation for various laps of your journey. You will then be issued reserved journey ticket for the journey.

3. No Standard Circular Journey Tickets are issued by Southern Railways, only non-standard Circular Journey Tickets as per the itenary given by the passengers are issued by the Southern Railways. A Circular Journey Ticket is charged for as two single journeys, the length of each single journey being taken as half of the total distance.

4. 40% concession for male Senior Citizens and 50% concession for female Senior Citizens are granted on the cost of the Circular Journey Tickets when travelling a minimum distance of 1000 kms.

Circular Journey Tickets – Standard Circular Journey Tour Tickets Over Northern Railway

Circular Journey Tickets Northern Railways

Tour No.	From	To	Distance (in Kms.)
1.	New Delhi	(via Mathura) Mumbai Central – Marmagoa – Bangalore City – Mysore – Bangalore City – Udagamandalam – Thiruvanthapuram Central – Kanniya Kumari (via Renigunta) – New Delhi (Valid for 56 days)	7550
2.	New Delhi	Vijaywada – Chennai Central – Bangalore City – Guntakal – Wadi – Hyderabad Deccan – Mumbai CST – Ratlam – New Delhi (Valid for 41 days)	5540
3.	Amritsar	(via Panipat) New Delhi – Katni – Bilaspur – Nagpur – Jalgaon – Bhopal – Jhansi – New Delhi – Amritsar (Valid for 31 days)	4020
4.	New Delhi	Kanpur Central – Mughalsarai – Chamagram – Darjeeling – Guwahati – Chamagram – Howrah – Gomoh – New Delhi (Valid for 36 days)	4800
5.	Jammu Tawi	Dehradun – Lucknow – Varanasi – Allahabad – Jhansi – Agra Cantt. – New Delhi – (via Panipat) Amritsar – Jammu Tawi (Valid for 24 days)	3052
6.	New Delhi	Chennai Central (via Vriddhachalam) – Rameshwaram – Madurai – Tirunelveli – Kanya Kumari – Thiruvanthapuram Central – Udagamandalam (via Bangalore City) – Hyderabad Daccan – New Delhi (Valid for 52 days)	6980
7.	Jallandhar City	(via Panipat) New Delhi – Vadodara – Ahmedabad – Bhavnagar – Porbandar – Okha – Ajmer – New Delhi – Jalandhar City (Valid for 31 days)	4056
8.	New Delhi	Manmad – Aurangabad – Nanded – Hyderabad Deccan – Bidar – Sholapur – Pune – Mumbai CST (via Ratlam) – New Delhi (Valid for 32 days)	4310
9.	New Delhi	Kanpur Central – Varanasi – Puri – Howrah – Patna – Barauni – Muzaffarpur – Raxual (via Lucknow) – New Delhi (Valid for 34 days)	4410
10	New Delhi	Lucknow – New Jalpaiguri – Dibrugarh Town – Dimapur – Silchar – Guwahati (via Chamagram) – Howrah – Gaya – New Delhi(Valid for 44 days)	5930

For More Information visit Northern Railway

Here’s a comprehensive overview of Circular Journey Tickets—their features, rules, and how they can be booked—especially applicable to Northern Railway (as part of standard circular tour tickets):

What Are Circular Journey Tickets?

These are special tickets issued by Indian Railways for journeys that start and end at the same station (forming a loop or “circle”). Ideal for pilgrimages, sightseeing, or multi-stop excursions.

Unlike regular round trips, they allow travel across multiple legs without individual bookings.
Multiple zones (including Northern Railway) offer both standard and custom (non-standard) circular fare options.

Key Rules & Features (Railway Board Guidelines)

According to official railway rules (Railway Board as on May 1, 2007):

Eligibility: Any journey starting and ending at the same station qualifies. The return shouldn’t just be via the shortest route or within 15% longer than the shortest—otherwise considered regular travel.
Class Availability: Tickets can be issued in any class, including AC and Sleeper.
Maximum Break Journeys: Up to 8 intermediate stops permitted. No endorsements required for these breaks.
Validity: Determined by distance:
- Travel days: 1 day per 400 km or part thereof
- Break (stopover) days: 1 day per 200 km or part thereof
Fare Calculation: Charged as two single journey fares, each half the total circular distance, plus standard reservation and surcharge charges.
Upgrades: If you ride in a higher class or train category, pay the fare difference using point-to-point rates.
Passenger Signature: Required on the ticket at the start of the journey.

Benefits of Circular Journey Tickets

Cost Savings: Telescopic fare structure is often lower than multiple point-to-point bookings.
Convenience: You avoid multiple ticket purchases for each leg.
Flexibility: Up to 8 break journeys allowed without separate endorsement.

Booking Process

Select a Standard Itinerary: Some zones publish standard circular routes—check if one matches your journey.
Define Your Itinerary: If no standard route fits, submit a custom itinerary to your zone’s Divisional Commercial Manager or Station Manager.
Get Fare Calculated: The ticket office will compute the fare based on your travel plan.
Purchase Ticket: Pay the computed fare at the booking office.
Reserve Specific Trains: Once the ticket is issued, you reserve berths for individual legs via normal reservation channels.

Zone-Specific Info

Northern Railway, like other zones, offers both standard and custom circular journey tickets. You can inquire at major stations or contact zonal officials for details.

Summary Table

Feature	Details
Purpose	Allows multi-leg, looped journeys starting/ending at same station
Break Journeys Allowed	Up to 8
Validity	1 day per 400 km travel; 1 day per 200 km break
Fare Structure	Two single journey fares (half distance each) + extra charges
Booking Steps	Choose standard or custom itinerary → get fare → reserve legs
Best For	Tourists, pilgrims, multi-stop travelers

In short, Circular Journey Tickets are a smart option for travelers planning multi-leg trips from the same starting point. If you’d like help designing your itinerary or identifying whether a standard route exists via Northern Railway, feel free to ask—happy to help!