INTRODUCTION
You are entitled to a full or partial refund of the money you paid for the ticket when you made the reservation when you cancel a reserved train ticket. For counter tickets and e-tickets purchased through IRCTC, there are differences in the refund procedure. Furthermore, the amount of the reimbursement also depends on the ticket’s status—that is, on whether you are canceling a waitlisted, RAC, Tatkal, or confirmed ticket—as well as the time you decide to cancel it. There are regulations and guidelines that control the refund procedure for rail tickets. Here is a summary of some of Indian Railways’ key refund policies.
Fees for Cancelling on Confirmed Tickets
The amount subtracted is determined on the moment of cancellation and the condition of your ticket at that point. Entire justifications are provided below:
Should a confirmed ticket be canceled online more than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the train’s scheduled departure, a minimum cancellation fee of one passenger will be deducted at the flat amount listed below:
| Class of Your Ticket | Flat Cancellation Fees per Passenger |
| Executive Class (EC) | ₹240/- + GST |
| AC Chair Car (CC) | ₹180 + GST |
The following cancellation fees will be subtracted from a confirmed ticket if it is canceled online between 48 and 12 hours prior to the train’s scheduled departure:
25% (Twenty five percent) of the fare, less the applicable GST and the minimum cancellation fee mentioned in clause 1(a), would be charged for all AC classes.
Cancellation fees will be subtracted as follows if a confirmed ticket is canceled online within twelve (12) hours and up to four hours before to the train’s scheduled departure:
50% (fifty percent) of the fare, plus GST (applicable for all AC Classes), subject to the minimum cancellation fee mentioned in clause 1(a).
In the event that a ticket is not cancelled online or a TDR is not filed online up to four hours prior to the scheduled departure of the train, no fare refund will be allowed on tickets with confirmed reservations.
Fees for Cancelling Tickets on Waitlist
If a wait-listed ticket is canceled online up to four hours before the train’s scheduled departure, the refund of the tariff will be issued after deducting the cancellation fee of ₹ 20/- + GST per passenger.
The user does not need to cancel tickets if all of the passengers on it are still on the waiting list following the initial charting. These tickets will be automatically canceled by the system, and all money will be returned without any cancellation fees.
Fees for Cancellation on Partially Confirmed Tickets
If a family or party e-ticket is issued for the travel of multiple passengers and some of the passengers have confirmed reservations while others are on the waiting list, the full refund of the fare, less the cancellation fee of ₹ 20/- + GST per passenger, will be accepted for the confirmed passengers. However, this is subject to the requirement that the tickets be cancelled online or that an online TDR be filed for each passenger up to four hours prior to the train’s scheduled departure.
If a party or family e-ticket is issued for the travel of multiple passengers and some passengers have confirmed reservations while others are on a waiting list, the confirmed passengers will be eligible for a full refund of the fare without any cancellation fees. However, this is subject to the requirement that the tickets be cancelled online or that an online TDR be filed for each passenger following the first charting and up to thirty minutes prior to the train’s scheduled departure.
Wait List Ticket Cancellation Fees Dropped from Charting
The names of all passengers booked on that Passenger Name Record (PNR) will be removed from the reservation chart, and the full fare will be credited back to the original account from which the booking transaction was made, without any cancellation fees deducted. This applies to wait-listed e-tickets, where all passengers are still on the waiting list even after the reservation chart has been prepared.
Train Cancellation Fees for Complete Cancellation (from origin to destination stations)
Online cancellation or TDR filing is not necessary in these situations for usage. In the event of a complete cancellation of trains from the source to the destination, an automatic full refund of the fare on confirmed e-tickets will be instantly credited back to the account from which the booking transaction occurred.
Cancellation Fees for Train Partial Cancellation
TDRs must be submitted online up to 72 hours before the train’s scheduled departure at the passenger’s boarding station in the event of a partial cancellation, diverted train, short termination, etc.
Fees for Cancellations when a Train Is Over Three Hours Late and Not Passenger Travelled
If the journey is not taken because the train is running more than three hours behind schedule from the station where the journey is scheduled to begin, there will be no cancellation fees and all passengers holding fully or partially confirmed tickets will receive their full fare back. However, this is subject to the following conditions:
- The train is running more than three hours behind schedule at the passenger boarding station.
- To receive a complete reimbursement, the TDR must be submitted online prior to the train’s actual departure.
- Not a single passenger who was scheduled on a PNR has left.
No refund of money will be allowed in the event that the ticket is cancelled or if the online request is made after the train has actually left.
IRCTC Trains TDR filing (Rules & Validations)
| TDR Filing Reasons | Time Limit/Rules |
| Train arrives more than three hours late and no passengers are on board | up until the train’s actual departure time at the boarding station. |
| Fare Differences If the Proper Coach Is Not Attached. (The passenger must take a lower-class flight) | Up to two days (not including the day the certificate is issued). |
| Failure of the AC | within twenty hours of the train’s actual arrival at the passenger’s destination station. |
| Every Verified Passenger Was Not Travelled | Up to four hours prior to the train’s scheduled departure time at the passenger boarding station. |
| Train was diverted, but no passengers were carried. | Up to 72 hours after the train is scheduled to depart from the passenger’s boarding station |
| The train was diverted and did not pass the boarding station. | Up to 72 hours after the train’s scheduled departure time at the passenger boarding station. |
| Train Ignored the Destination Station and Was Diverted | Up to 72 hours after the train’s scheduled departure time at the passenger boarding station. |
| Waitlisted and partially confirmed passengers did not travel. | Up to 72 hours before the train actually arrives at the passenger’s destination station. |
| Party Waitlisted/Partially Confirmed, With No Passenger Traveling. | At the passenger boarding station, up to 30 minutes before to the train’s scheduled departure time. |
| The difference in cost for a passenger traveling in a lower class | Up to two days (not including the day the certificate is issued). |
| Refund on Partially Used Ticket for Party Partially Travelled. | 72 hours can pass between the train’s scheduled departure time and the passenger’s boarding station. |
Passengers Not Travelled As Received a Lower Class Reservation | Three hours following the train’s actual departure time at the passenger boarding station. |
| No passenger traveled because of damage to the coach. | Three hours before the train’s actual departure time at the passenger boarding station. |
| Train Terminated Short of Destination. | TDR within 72 hours of the train’s scheduled arrival at the passenger’s destination. |
