Not a single rupee will be deducted if the train is cancelled! Know the correct rules and process to get full refund on IRCTC e-ticket and railway counter ticket.

Lakhs of passengers traveling in Indian Railways sometimes face such unexpected situations when the train is suddenly canceled completely or partially due to technical fault, bad weather, natural disaster or track maintenance. In such a situation, the biggest concern of the passengers is about the money for the ticket. Railway administration has clear rules that if the train is canceled by Railways, then no cancellation charge or clerkage fee is deducted from the passenger and full 100% of the basic fare is refunded. However, the process of getting a refund depends on whether your ticket is an online e-ticket booked through the IRCTC website or app or a physical ticket purchased from the railway station counter (PRS Counter).

If you have booked your train ticket through IRCTC official website or Rail Connect App and that train has been declared Full Cancellation by Railways in the official system (PRS System), then there is no need for the passenger to cancel the ticket on his own.

• Automatic Cancellation: As soon as the train is marked ‘Cancelled’ in the system, IRCTC servers automatically cancel all confirmed, RAC and waiting e-tickets.

• Passengers should not cancel themselves: The most common mistake is that as soon as the passengers get the news of train cancellation, they get nervous and press the ‘Cancel Ticket’ button. If you cancel the ticket yourself before it gets canceled in the train system, normal cancellation rules may apply and charges may be deducted. So let the system cancel automatically.

• Refund transfer period: The entire refund is credited back without any deduction to the same bank account, debit/credit card, net banking or UPI ID within 3 to 7 working days from which the original payment was made.

If you have purchased a paper ticket from the station reservation counter (PRS Counter), its refund is not automatically credited to your account online. For this, the passenger has to go to the counter with the physical ticket or complete the online TDR/verification process within the stipulated time.

Railways has given a big relief to the counter ticket holders that they can board the train not only immediately after the scheduled time, but also 72 hours (3 days) You can get cash refund by visiting any computerized reservation center in the country and submitting the original ticket.

Many times the train is not completely canceled, rather its route is changed (diverted route). If the train is operated on a diverted route which does not cover your destination station or boarding station, or you do not wish to travel on the diverted route, you are entitled to a full refund:

1. E-Ticket Holder: By visiting IRCTC portal before the actual departure time of the train. TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) file and in cause “Train Diverted and Passenger Not Traveling” Select.

2. Counter Ticket Holder: You can get full refund by surrendering the ticket at the reservation counter before the departure time of the train.

If the train is not canceled but from its originating station Late by more than 3 Hours If the train operates from and you do not wish to travel, you get a refund of the full fare without any deduction as per Railway rules:

• TDR after chart creation: It is mandatory to file TDR before the actual departure of the train.

• in reason “Train Late More Than 3 Hours and Passenger Not Traveling” Select. After verification the entire money is transferred to your original account.

If a train is short terminated at a station midway instead of on its entire route, the passenger can avail of two options:

1. If the Railways provides alternative arrangements for onward journey and the passenger travels, no additional refund is available.

2. If the Railways does not provide any alternative means or the passenger refuses to travel further, fare only up to the station traveled will be deducted and the entire fare for the unused distance will be refunded. For this, refund claim is made by taking EFT or certificate from TTE.