Indian Railways has changed a few rules to win the favor of passengers, yet again. As per the new rules, if a connecting train is missed due to the late entry of the previous train, you are liable to get a full refund of the ticket price.
Two rules have been changed by the Indian Railways, which will be in place from April 1, 2019.
The first rule states that passengers who have tickets of connecting trains and miss the next one due to the late arrival of the first one will be refunded the whole amount they have paid for the ticket.
However, this rule is subject to a few conditions; one is where passengers will be given a refund only if they fill in the exact same information about themselves in both the tickets. Also, the starting point of the second ticket and the arrival point of the first ticket has to be the same.
In the second rule that has been changed, passengers have been given the liberty to change their boarding station. This rule is applicable only if the passenger changes the boarding station four hours prior to the departure of the train, which is when the charts are made for a train. Once the chart is made, passengers won’t be able to change the boarding stations.
And, these conditions don’t change even if a passenger has a Tatkal ticket.
The rules are applicable for any passenger with a reservation under general quota category.
If passengers have a counter ticket, they will be required to inform the railway officials at the starting point of their journey. If passengers have an online e-ticket, they can log in to the official website of IRCTC and change their boarding station before the charts are made.
If passengers are unable to resort to either of the above-mentioned ways, they can call 139 and initiate the request to change the boarding station. This call, too, has to be made before 4 hours of departure, i.e., before the chart has been made.
Remember, the facility to change the boarding station is absolutely free of charge for all passengers.
An Option: Cancellation of Tickets
Another alternative to this process is to cancel your ticket, which will also get you a refund. However, there are different rules, time slots and charges for cancellation of tickets in each segment:
IRCTC Ticket Cancellation For 3AC:
If the ticket’s cancel request is initiated 48 hours prior to the departure of the train, cancellation charges will be Rs. 180 plus GST.
If the ticket is canceled between 48 hours and 12 hours prior to the departure, the cancellation charges will be 25 percent of the fare plus GST.
If canceled between 12 hours and 4 hours prior to departure, 50 percent of the fare plus GST will be charged.
IRCTC Ticket Cancellation For 2AC:
The cancellation charges differ as per time slots for 2AC booking:
48 hours prior to departure – Rs 200 plus GST.
Between 48 hours and 12 hours prior – 25 percent of the fare plus GST.
Between 12 and 4 hours – 50 percent of the fare plus GST
IRCTC Ticket Cancellation For RAC:
As per IRCTC, if a passenger has a RAC e-ticket, does not cancel the ticket or does not file the TDR, the amount will not be refunded.
IRCTC Ticket Cancellation For Sleeper Class:
If the ticket is canceled before 48 hours before departure, the cancellation charges will be Rs. 120.
IRCTC Ticket Cancellation For Waiting List:
If the passenger has wait-listed e-tickets and has no confirmed berth even after the chart has been made, the ticket money will be credited to the account of the passenger.
If the passenger has a window-seat ticket, the ticket has to be canceled 30 minutes prior to the departure to get the refund.
If the passenger fails to cancel the ticket after 30 mins before departure, the ticket money will not be refunded.
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