Indian Railways carries over two crore passengers daily. Train ticket cancellation charges and refund rules are one of the most common queries from rail passengers. The cancellation charges vary, depending on the class of travel and the time when the ticket is cancelled. With effect from November 2015, certain provisions of Railway Passengers (Cancellation of tickets and refund of fare) rules have been amended and comprehensive Railway Passengers (Cancellation of tickets and refund of fare) Rules 2015 have been notified through Gazette Notification G.S.R. 836(E). dated 04.11.2015.
Train ticket Cancellation Rules In 10 Points:
1) If a confirmed ticket is cancelled up to 48 hours before the scheduled departure of train, cancellation charges will be deducted at Rs. 240 for AC First Class/Executive Class, Rs. 200 for AC 2 Tier/First Class, Rs. 180 for AC 3 Tier/AC Chair car/ AC 3 Economy, Rs.120 for Sleeper
Class and Rs.60 for Second Class. Cancellation charges are levied on a per passenger basis.
2) If a confirmed ticket is cancelled within 48 hours and up to 12 hours before the scheduled departure of train, cancellation charges will be 25 per cent of the fare subject to the minimum flat rate mentioned above.
3) Between 12 hours and up to four hours before the scheduled departure of train, cancellation charges will be 50 per cent of the fare paid subject to the minimum cancellation rate. No refund of fare shall be admissible on the ticket having confirmed reservation in case ticket is not cancelled or TDR (ticket deposit receipt) not filed online up to four hours before the scheduled departure of the train, says IRCTC website.
Cancellation of Wait-Listed, RAC Tickets
4) Refund will be granted on an RAC (reservation against cancellation) ticket or wait-listed ticket up to 30 minutes before the departure of train.
5) The e-tickets should be cancelled through internet and the refund of fare will be credited to the account from which the booking transaction took place, after deducting the applicable charges.
6) No cancellation charge is levied and full fare is refunded to passengers holding confirmed, RAC and wait-listed tickets if the journey is not undertaken due to late running of train by more than three hours of scheduled departure, subject to the condition that the ticket is surrendered prior to actual departure of train.
7) In case of cancellation of trains, for e-tickets, an automatic refund is granted. Filing of TDR or ticket deposit receipt is not required.
8) For a PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counter ticket, when the train is cancelled, a refund of fare is permissible within three days excluding the scheduled day of departure of train.
Cancellation Of Tatkal Tickets
9) Under the existing rules, no refund is granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets. If a train is running late by more than 3 hours or train is cancelled, you can file TDR with proper reason for claiming refund, says IRCTC website.
10) In case of e-ticket issued for travel of more than one passenger, some passengers have confirmed reservation and others are on RAC or waiting list, full refund of fare , less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers, subject to the condition that the ticket shall be cancelled online or online TDR shall be filed for all the passengers up to thirty minutes before the scheduled departure of the train, says IRCTC website. Other details about rules on railway cancellation and refund can be checked in this notification.