IRCTC train ticket cancellation charges: This is what you have to pay now to Indian Railways

Train ticket cancellation charges: Lakhs of people use Indian Railways trains for their daily commute. A large number of these passengers book their tickets using Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website irctc.co.in. Many people often cancel their e-tickets due to circumstances which are unavoidable. E-tickets can be cancelled until the chart preparation of the train. You should also be aware that the e-tickets cannot be cancelled at the railway counters. 

Usually, a train chart is prepared four hours before the departure of the train from its start station. However, for train starting up to 12 noon the chart preparation is usually done on the previous night. One can log on to irctc.co.in and go to 'Booked Tickets' link and select the ticket to be cancelled and can initiate the cancellation by selecting the passengers to be cancelled. 

The refund is only credited back to the account used for booking the tickets. The Indian Railways impose some cancellation charges on the users. Below is a detailed guide of the cancellation charges:

If a confirmed ticket is cancelled more than 48 hrs before the scheduled departure of the train, flat cancellation charges per passenger is deducted:

1. Rs 240 for AC First Class/Executive Class

2. Rs 200 for AC 2 Tier/First Class

3. Rs 180 for AC 3 Tier/AC Chair car/ AC 3 Economy

4. Rs120 for Sleeper Class, and 

5. Rs 60 for Second Class. 

If a confirmed ticket is cancelled within 48 hrs and up to 12 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation charges shall be 25% of the fare subject to the minimum flat rate mentioned above. 

If cancellation is done less than 12 hours and up to four hours before the scheduled departure of the train up to chart preparation which is earlier, cancellation charges shall be 50% of the fare paid subject to the minimum cancellation charges. 

Watch This Zee Business Video

However, e-tickets cannot be cancelled after chart preparation. Users are requested to use the online TDR filing for such cases and track Status of the refund case through tracking service provided by IRCTC. TDR can be filed as per below-mentioned rules:

1. No refund of fare shall be admissible on the tickets having confirmed reservation in case the ticket is not cancelled or TDR not filed online up to four hours before the scheduled departure of the train.

2. No refund of fare shall be admissible on RAC e-tickets is case the ticket is not cancelled or TDR not filed online up to thirty minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.

3. In case, on a party e-ticket or a family e-ticket issued for travel of more than one passenger, some passengers have confirmed reservation and others are on RAC or waiting list, full refund of fare , less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also subject to the condition that the ticket shall be cancelled online or online TDR shall be filed for all the passengers up to thirty minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.

Refund rule for Tatkal Tickets Booked as e-Tickets:

No refund will be granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets. For contingent cancellation and waitlisted Tatkal ticket cancellations, charges will be deducted as per existing Railway rules. Partial cancellation of Tatkal e-tickets is allowed.

Cancellation of e-tickets in case of trains cancelled:

If the train is marked as "CANCELLED" in PRS due to breaches, floods, accidents etc. full refund is permissible in case the ticket is cancelled within three days of the scheduled departure of the train.