In India, the railways are the backbone of long distance travelling. There are complaints against the tatkal booking system since a long time. Indian railways have come up with a new set of cancellation / refund rules putting an end to dissatisfaction among passengers. These new rules have come into action since 12th November 2015. It is aimed at the following aspects:
- To prevent misuse of tatkal scheme.
- To fulfill the proposed objectives like mobile tickets and paperless tickets to the passengers.
- Put an end to the agents/touts in railways.
As a part of these modifications, the Indian railways have enabled UTS counters, where the cancellation requests are undertaken and the refunding process is carried out beyond the working hours of PRS. If you booked your tickets online, you will be refunded automatically. Prior to the introduction of this scheme, ticket deposit receipt has to be filed for the refund process.
A few noteworthy changes are mentioned here under:
- The cancellation charges for the unreserved, RAC and waitlisted tickets are doubled.
- There is also a significant hike in the cancellation charges of the confirmed tickets.
- In case of refunding on unused RAC/WL tickets the time limit is reduced to half an hour from 3 hours.
- Cancellation of e-tickets no longer requires the filling of TDR.
Another important modification is that the passenger will not be refunded in case of cancellation of unused tatkal tickets. However, in some special circumstances like late running of trains, this rule will be exempted.
These set of new rules can help the Indian railways to use the seats optimally as the passengers have to cancel the tickets 4 hours prior to the departure to claim refund. The hike in fares can also put an end to the agents and touts who book the tickets on fake names and make money by selling them at higher prices. A significant growth in the revenue of the Indian railways can be observed as the cancellation charges are increased.
New booking rules:
The modifications are also extended to the booking policies, which have been effective from 12th November 2015. Check out the important feature of these modifications:
- One can witness the final chart at least four hours prior to the departure of the train. This feature enables the passengers to plan well in advance for their journey.
- Once the final reservation chart is on, booking counters will reopen on internet and on PRS counters. This can enable the passengers to book the available accommodation in the trains. If you wish to cancel your RAC/waiting list ticket, you have the time up to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.
- Just before departure of the train, a second and the final chart will be prepared and is made available to the ticket checking staff.
The implementation of these new policies has benefited the railways to a large extent. When you get to know your PNR status railway, make sure to have these changes in your mind.