Train Ticket Cancellation Rule Changed: No Refund Within 8 Hours of Departure

Ticket Cancellation Rules: Indian Railways on Tuesday made some changes to the refund rules for train ticket cancellations. No refund will be provided for tickets cancelled less than 8 hours before the scheduled departure.

Ticket Cancellation Rules: Indian Railways has made changes to its ticket cancellation policy. If you cancel your ticket less than 8 hours before the train's departure, you will not receive any refund. If the ticket is cancelled more than 72 hours before the journey, the maximum refund will be given. If you cancel the ticket between 72 and 24 hours in advance, 25% of the ticket price will be deducted. If you cancel the ticket between 24 and 8 hours in advance, 50% of the ticket price will be deducted.

Indian Railways has amended not only the cancellation rules for confirmed tickets but also the rules related to the boarding point. The new rules will be implemented in phases between April 1 and April 15, 2026.

These are the new railway rules

• If a passenger cancels a ticket more than 72 hours before the train's scheduled departure, they will receive the maximum refund. Only a fixed (flat) cancellation fee per passenger will be deducted.
• For cancellations made between 72 hours and 24 hours, 25% of the fare will be deducted (minimum charges will apply).
• For cancellations made between 24 hours and 8 hours, 50% of the fare will be deducted (minimum charges will apply).
• If the ticket is cancelled less than 8 hours in advance, no refund will be given.

New rule for changing boarding point

Indian Railways has now allowed passengers to change their boarding station up to 30 minutes before the train's scheduled departure. This facility will be particularly beneficial in cities with multiple railway stations, as passengers can board the train from any station as per their convenience. Currently, changing the boarding point was only permitted before the chart preparation. According to the Ministry of Railways, this change has been made with the aim of providing more convenience to passengers and improving the system. Indian Railways

Attempt to curb touts

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that investigations revealed some touts used to book extra tickets and cancel the remaining ones before the train's departure, receiving a significant amount as refund. He added that tightening refund rules will curb such activities.

What were the old ticket cancellation rules?

For cancellations made more than 48 hours in advance, a fixed charge per passenger was deducted. For Executive Class, ₹240 + GST was deducted. For AC Chair Car, ₹180 + GST was deducted. For cancellations made between 48 hours and 12 hours, 25% of the fare was deducted (minimum charges applied). For cancellations made between 12 hours and 4 hours, 50% of the fare was deducted (minimum charges applied). If the ticket was not cancelled or a TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) was not filed up to 4 hours before the train's scheduled departure, no refund was given.