Indian Railways is preparing to make major changes in the rules of confirmed ticket cancellation. The official date for implementing these new rules has not been announced yet, but according to sources, it can be announced soon. Recently, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav had also indicated about these changes. Under the new proposed rules, passengers will get refund depending on the time of ticket cancellation, due to which canceling the ticket at the last moment can be costly.
According to the new system, if a passenger cancels the ticket 72 hours before the commencement of the journey, he will get the maximum refund and only a fixed minimum cancellation fee will be deducted. If the ticket is canceled between 72 to 24 hours, 25% of the fare will be deducted. If the ticket is canceled between 24 hours to 8 hours before the departure of the train, 50% of the fare will be deducted. However, no refund will be given if the ticket is canceled less than 8 hours before the departure of the train.
The new rules will have the biggest impact on those passengers whose travel plans keep changing frequently. Especially business travelers, passengers taking Tatkal tickets and families who first book tickets for confirmed seats but later change their plans may have to suffer huge losses.
In such a situation, it is important for the passengers to take a quick decision regarding their plans and as soon as there is a possibility of change, cancel the tickets in time so that the loss is reduced. Also, one should avoid booking multiple tickets in different trains as backup, as this can prove to be quite expensive. In future, if travel apps offer the option of trip cancellation insurance, it may be a wise move to choose it.
