Indian Railways has made some changes to the rules regarding train ticket cancellations, effective January 16. If you have booked a ticket, you should definitely understand this cancellation update.
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Indian Railways has issued a major update regarding train ticket cancellations in the new year. In a recent circular, the Railways amended the rules governing cancellation fees for train tickets. This includes the new Vande Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat Express trains. According to a notification issued on January 16, the new rules are known as the Railway Passenger (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fare) Amendment Rules, 2026.
Rules for Cancellation of Vande Bharat Sleeper Tickets
According to the new rules effective January 16, if a ticket is cancelled more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure time of the train, a cancellation charge of 25 percent will be deducted.
If a ticket is cancelled between 72 hours and 8 hours before the scheduled departure time of the train, a cancellation charge of 50 percent will be deducted.
If a ticket is cancelled less than 8 hours before the scheduled departure time of the train, no fare refund will be given.
Also understand that
However, in the case of Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, if the ticket is not cancelled or a TDR is not filed online within 8 hours of the scheduled departure time of the train, no fare refund will be given on such tickets. Reserved tickets for the Amrit Bharat II Express will be governed by the rules applicable to reserved tickets for the Vande Bharat Sleeper Express.
More time given after chart preparation
The ticket cancellation window for Vande Bharat Sleeper Express and Amrit Bharat II Express has been extended to 72 hours, compared to 48 hours for other trains. However, the existing rules for unreserved tickets will remain applicable for unreserved tickets on Amrit Bharat II Express.
The Railways recently revised the basic fares for major train services such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Amrit Bharat, Garib Rath, Jan Shatabdi, Antyodaya, Gatiman, Yuva Express, Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, and general non-suburban services.
