Indian Railways: Have you booked your tickets for your train journey in advance and now have some change in travel plans? If you are worried that you will have to cancel your ticket and pay a cancellation charge and also will have to book another ticket, then this news may well make you a sigh with relief.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Yes, you read the headline right, Indian Railways actually allows you to postpone or prepone your journey. No matter whether you have booked tickets using the IRCTC website or from the rail ticket counter, you can avail this facility. However, there are certain rules, which you must know and follow. Below are the details you must be aware of:

POSTPONEMENT OF JOURNEY

(a) Confirmed Ticket:- Postponement of journey on confirmed tickets shall be allowed in the same or any higher class' by any subsequent train on the same or any subsequent day, for the same destination, provided that:-

(i) confirmed or RAC or waiting list accommodation is available in the train in which fresh reservation is required.:-

(ii) fresh reservation fee for the class for which reservation is required is paid, in case of tickets surrendered during working hours and at least 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the train in which originally booked;

(iii) 25% fare of the already booked ticket is paid as cancellation charges, in case of tickets surrendered during working hours and within 24 hrs and 4 hours before scheduled departure of the train in which originally booked;

(iv) 50% fare of already booked ticket is paid as cancellation charges, in case of tickets surrendered during working hours and within 4 hours before scheduled departure and up the maximum time limits mentioned in rule 213.6(i)(c) (i.e 3/6/12 hours, depending on distance.) after actual departure of the train in which originally booked;

(b) RAC & WAITLISTED TICKETS: Postponement of journey on RAC and waitlisted tickets shall be allowed in same or higher class, by any subsequent train on the same or any subsequent day, for the same destination, provided that-

(i) confirmed or RAC or waiting list accommodation is available in the train in which fresh reservation is required;

(ii) a ticket is surrendered during working hours and up to the maximum time limits mentioned in rule 213.6 (i) (c) ,(i.e. 3/6/12 hours depending on distance) after actual departure of the train in which originally:-

(iii) a clerkage charge is paid;

PREPONEMENT OF JOURNEY

(2) Preponement of journey : Preponement of journey on confirmed, RAC & waitlisted tickets shall be allowed in the same or any higher class, by any earlier train on the same day or any earlier day, for same destination, provided that

(a) confirmed or RAC or waiting list accommodation is available in the train in which fresh reservation is required;

(b) a ticket is surrendered during working hours of reservation office and at least 6 hrs before scheduled departure of the train in which reservation is required or before preparation of reservation chart, whichever is later;

(c) fresh reservation fee for the class for which reservation is required is paid, in case of preponement on confirmed tickets and

(d) a clerkage charge is paid, in case of preponement on RAC & waitlisted ticket;

CONDITIONS FOR MODIFICATION OF JOURNEY

(3) If there is a difference in fares for originally booked journey and revised journey the difference of fare shall be refunded or recovered, as the case may subject to the provisions of rule 213.9(1)& (2) above.

(4) Postponement or Preponement of journey under the above sub-rules shall be allowed only once.

(5) The postponement/preponement of normal train ticket journeys will not be applicable against Tatkal Quota eve on payment of Tatkal charges.

Watch This Zee Business Video

REFUND ON CANCELLATIONS OF MODIFIED TICKET

(6) If the ticket, on which journey has been alerted under the above sub-rules ,is cancelled, cancellation charges shall be payable as follows:-

(a) cancellation charge as would have been due if the ticket for original reservation had been cancelled at the time of postponement /preponement of journey,

(b) cancellation charges due in respect of ticket for alerted reservation as if this alerted reservation is fresh reservation.

(c) in cases where 25% or 50% cancellation charges were realized at the time of modification of journey, the cancellation charges mentioned in (a) shall not be levied again and the cancellation charges mentioned in (b) only shall be levied".