Friday 28 June 2013

Revises Ticket Refund Rules-Indian Railways

The Ministry of Railways revised and amended ticket refund rules on Tuesday, which will be effective from 1 July.

Accordingly, passengers need to cancel their confirmed tickets 48 hours ahead of the journey instead of the existing 24 hours to get maximum refund on the travel charges.

"Railway Passengers (Cancellation of ticket and Refund of fare) Rules, 1998 have not been substantially revised in the last 15 years during which period a large number of changes have taken place in the ticketing system of Indian Railways," the ministry said in a statement.

According to the revised rules, if a confirmed ticket is cancelled between 48 hours and upto six hours before the departure of the train as against the existing 24 hours and upto four hours, passengers will get a refund with cancellation charges of 25 percent of the fare. The ministry decided to revise the rules in an attempt to prevent booking agents from selling tickets at higher prices as well as to give more time for wait listed passengers to decide about taking their trip, Read More at http://indianrailways-help.blogspot.com/p/refund-rules.html

Friday 10 May 2013

New advance rail ticket booking period to be reduced to 2 months from 1st May 2013


The advance booking period for train tickets will be reduced from existing four months to two months from Wednesday as part of the Railways' efforts to prevent touts to corner bulk tickets.

"The reduction of advance reservation period to 60 days will be a deterrent for touts who book bulk tickets in advance. We hope the reduction of booking period will help genuine travelers " a senior Railway Ministry official said.

However, all the bookings done up to April 30 under the existing advance reservation period (ARP) of 120 days will remain intact.

In order to prevent touts from booking bulk tickets in advance, Railways have already increased the cancellation charges by Rs 10 to Rs 50 per ticket.

"It has been found that passengers generally book their tickets two months in advance before the journey," the official said, adding "so the reduction of advance booking period from 120 days to 60 days will be beneficial for rail travelers."

Cancellation of the booking made beyond the ARP of 60 days will, however, be permitted. There will be no change in the case of ARP limit of 360 days for foreign tourists.

Stepping up its action on touts, Railways has also modified the Tatkal booking system to ensure that genuine passengers get train tickets. No agents are allowed to book tatkal tickets from 10 am to 12 pm over the internet.

Railways also conduct regular raids at rail stations to keep a check on tout menace.