No refund on train ticket cancellations up to 8 hours before departure
There will be no refund for cancellation of train tickets up to eight hours before departure, instead of the existing norm of four hours, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while announcing reforms in the sector on Tuesday.
The new refund rule will take effect between April 1 and 15 this year.
Other refund slabs have also been revised: a cancellation between 24 and eight hours will incur a 50 per cent deduction from the ticket cost. This is currently 12 to four hours.
Similarly, the Railways will deduct 25 per cent of the ticket cost for cancellation between 72 and 24 hours before departure.
A full refund — except a flat cancellation charge per passenger — will be given for cancellations made more than 72 hours before the train’s departure.
Under the existing policy, cancellations made between 48 and 12 hours incur a 25 per cent deduction of the ticket cost, while a full refund will be given for cancellations made more than 48 hours in advance.
Vaishnaw said the refund rule is being modified to discourage black marketing and last-minute sale of tickets by agents.
The new refund rule, which the railways minister announced for all trains on Tuesday, has already been in force on Vande Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat II trains launched after January this year.
The ministry first announced this through a notification dated January 16, 2026, which amended the Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015.
Vaishnaw on Tuesday said travel class upgradation will now be allowed up to 30 minutes before departure for passengers who bought counter tickets. Earlier, passengers could upgrade travel class only before the train’s first chart.