Big news for train passengers. Now the government’s big plan has been revealed. During the winter session of Parliament, Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Chaudhary raised questions about the cancellation charge on waitlisted tickets. He asked the government whether it is right to charge cancellation charges in cases where waiting tickets are cancelled by the railways themselves due to lack of seats. He also asked if the government was planning to waive cancellation charges on such tickets.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said clerkage charges are levied on cancellation of waiting tickets. This rule comes under the Railway Passenger (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015. He said that the purpose of issuing waiting tickets by the Railways is to manage the vacant berths, which are available in case of confirmed or RAC ticket cancellation.
The minister also clarified that the money collected from waitlisted ticket cancellations is used to meet the expenses related to maintenance and operation of railways. He also said that no separate data is maintained by the Railways on the revenue earned from cancellations. The minister also informed that passengers holding waiting tickets are given the option to adjust in other trains under the upgradation scheme and option (VIKALP) scheme. This causes the least inconvenience to the passengers in their travel planning. However, no new rules have been announced at the moment regarding fee waiver on waiting tickets.
Currently, if you cancel a train ticket, you have to pay some charges. The fee depends on the type of ticket (confirmed, RAC or waiting) and the departure time of the train. The charges are Rs 240 for AC first class, Rs 200 for AC 2-tier/first class, Rs 180 for AC 3-tier/chair car and Rs 60 for second class, provided the ticket is cancelled 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the train.
If the ticket is cancelled within 48 hours of the train’s departure but before 12 hours, 25% of the total fare will be deducted. At the same time, 50% of the total fare will be deducted on cancellation within 12 hours and up to 4 hours before the departure of the train. Waiting or RAC tickets can also be cancelled, but for this, tickets must be cancelled at least 30 minutes before the departure of the train.
