Every day, lakhs of people travel by Indian Railways. If someone needs to cancel their ticket before the journey, the first question is usually about the refund amount.
Now, the Railways is planning to introduce a new rule where the train chart will be prepared 24 hours before departure.
Currently, this rule is being tested and may be applied across the country in the future. So, it’s important to understand what changes may come in the refund process.
What is the new system?
Right now, the train chart is prepared around 4 hours before departure. Because of this, passengers with waiting tickets must wait a long time to know if their ticket is confirmed.
In the new system, the chart will be prepared 24 hours earlier. This means passengers will know a day in advance whether their ticket is confirmed.
This will help in better travel planning and will also give time if someone wants to cancel their ticket.
How much is deducted when cancelling a ticket?
According to current railway rules, if a confirmed ticket is cancelled between 48 hours to 12 hours before departure, 25% of the fare is deducted and the rest is refunded.
If cancellation is done between 12 hours and 4 hours before the journey, the deduction increases. After the chart is prepared, getting a refund becomes nearly impossible.
So, if the chart is prepared 24 hours before, the deadline to cancel tickets will also be earlier.
This means passengers will have to decide whether to cancel the ticket sooner than before.
Refund amount depends on the coach
Ticket prices are different for each class, so the cancellation charges also vary. For example, if you’re travelling in an AC coach, the cancellation charge will be higher.
AC tickets cost more than sleeper or general class, so the loss on cancellation is also more.
However, if you have a waiting ticket that doesn’t get confirmed and you cancel it, you usually get almost a full refund.
Full refund details available on IRCTC
If you’ve booked your ticket online, you can check the refund status on the IRCTC website or app. There you can see how much money was deducted and how much will be refunded.
New rule is not fully implemented yet
Right now, the 24-hour chart preparation rule is being tested only at one station. It has not been implemented nationwide.
If the test is successful, it will gradually be applied across other locations. Then, Indian Railways will also officially release the new refund-related rules.
