Is the Modi government considering waiving train cancellation charges for waitlisted tickets? This question arose after Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Choudhary raised the issue of cancellation charges being applied to waitlisted tickets, even when they are canceled by the Railways due to a lack of seats.
Choudhary questioned whether the government was aware that the IRCTC website imposes cancellation charges on waitlisted tickets, even if they are canceled by the Railways due to unavailability of seats. She also asked whether the government plans to waive these charges for waitlisted tickets canceled by the Railways.
In response, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw provided a written reply in the Lok Sabha, stating that the Ministry levies clerkage charges on all waitlisted tickets. He further clarified that the revenue generated from cancellations, along with other sources, is used for covering maintenance and operational expenses.
“Clerkage charge is levied on cancellation of all waitlisted tickets, including cancelled, through the IRCTC website as per Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fare) Rules 2015,” Railway Minister said in response to questions.
Waitlisted tickets utilised to prevent vacant berths
He further explained that waitlisted tickets are issued to manage vacant berths resulting from the cancellation of confirmed or RAC tickets during the advance reservation period.
“Further, waitlisted ticket passengers have also the option to get upgraded under the upgradation scheme or shifted to an alternate train under the VIKALP scheme,” Vaishnaw added. The Railway Minister further clarified that the revenue generated from ticket cancellations is not tracked separately.
When asked if the government has data on the revenue generated from cancellation fees, Vaishnaw said, “The amount credited on account of cancellation of tickets is not maintained separately.”
“The revenue generated from all sources, including cancellation, forms part of railways’ total receipts which are utilised for working expenses relating to maintenance and operations under revenue expenditure and capital expenditure for renewal/replacement of assets, customer amenities and other unremunerative development work,” the minister added.
IRCTC Refund Policy
When you cancel a train ticket with Indian Railways, whether it’s ‘confirmed’, ‘RAC’, or ‘waitlisted’, you will incur a cancellation charge. The amount deducted depends on the time of cancellation and varies based on your ticket category, such as AC First Class, AC Chair Car, or Second Class.
Here’s a breakdown of cancellation charges if you cancel more than 48 hours before the train’s scheduled departure:
- Rs 240 for AC First Class/Executive Class
- Rs 200 for AC 2-Tier/First Class
- Rs 180 for AC 3-Tier/AC Chair Car/AC-3 Economy
- Rs 60 for Second Class
If you cancel within 48 hours but more than 12 hours before the train departs, the charge will be 25% of the total fare paid (with a minimum cancellation charge applicable).
For cancellations made less than 12 hours but up to 4 hours before departure, the charge increases to 50% of the total fare paid, subject to a minimum flat cancellation fee for each class.
For tickets that are either RAC or waitlisted, you can still cancel, but the cancellation must be done at least 30 minutes before the train’s departure.