Indian Railways Ticket Cancellation: Rules, Charges And Other Details

IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), which handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the Indian Railways, also offers the option of ticket cancellation. Once the cancellation is confirmed, the refund is credited back to the account used for booking of the ticket. However, e-tickets cannot be cancelled after chart preparation for normal passenger, according to IRCTC's website - irctc.co.in. In such a case, the passenger can use the online TDR (ticket deposit receipt) filing facility and track the status of refund.

Here are key things to know about Indian Railways ticket cancellation rules:

1. If a confirmed ticket is cancelled more than 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation charges stand at Rs. 240 (per passenger) 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, according to IRCTC's website.

2. If a confirmed ticket is cancelled within 48 hours and up to 12 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, a cancellation charge of 25 per cent of the fare subject to the minimum flat rate mentioned is levied.

3. Cancellation charges on confirmed tickets in less than 12 hours and up to four hours before the scheduled departure of a train or up to chart preparation, whichever is earlier, is 50 per cent of the fare. However, this is subject to minimum cancellation charges, noted IRCTC.

4. However, no refund of fare shall be admissible on RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) e-tickets is case the ticket is not cancelled or TDR is not filed online up to thirty minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.

5. IRCTC does not grant a refund on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets. For contingent cancellation and waitlisted Tatkal ticket cancellations, charges will be deducted as per existing railway rules, according to IRCTC's website.