Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Railways

25-June-2013 16:09 IST

Indian Railways Undertakes Comprehensive Revision of its Refund Rules
The Revised Refund Rules will Come into Effect From 1st July 2013

Ministry of Railways has revised and amended Refund Rules in a very comprehensive manner and notified them which shall come into force with effect from 1.7.2013. The amendments made in the Refund Rules are aimed at simplification, efficiency in processing and reduction of bogus refund claims.

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.  Firstly, Computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) as well as Computerised Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) have proliferated. Reservation through internet has also been introduced through which 45% of the total reserved tickets are issued. Integrated Train Enquiry System — 139 is functional through which ticket status can be obtained through SMS. The above developments warranted that the refund rules be revised comprehensively.

The major changes in the existing rules and the amendments in refund rules are as under:-

Unused (unreserved) tickets on which no reservation has been made:-

Unused tickets on which reservation has been made :-

(i) if the ticket is presented for cancellation more than forty eight hours instead of the existing 24 hours in advance of the scheduled departure of the train, a minimum per passenger cancellation charge shall be deducted at the flat rate of rupees one hundred and twenty for air-conditioned first class/executive class, rupees one hundred for air-conditioned-II tier/first class, rupees ninety for air-conditioned III-tier/ 3 economy/air-conditioned chair car, rupees sixty for sleeper class and rupees thirty for second class.

(ii) if the ticket is presented for cancellation between forty eight hours and upto six hours instead of existing 24 hours and upto 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, cancellation charge shall be twenty five per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iii)  if the ticket is presented for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hours irrespective of distance instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train, the cancellation charge shall be fifty per cent of the fare subject to a minimum of the cancellation charge.

(iv) No refund shall be granted on the reserved ticket if it is surrendered for cancellation after two hours of the actual departure of the train.

(v)  In case, on a party ticket or a family ticket issued for travel of more than one person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are on waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours instead of existing 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train and upto two hours instead of existing 3 hours after actual departure of the train”.

Unused waitlisted or RAC tickets :-

• The e- ticket may be booked and cancelled through internet and the refund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s account after deducting the charges applicable.
• In case of a confirmed e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused tickets on which reservation has been made. In case of RAC e-ticket, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted and RAC tickets.
• In case of  the waitlisted e-ticket on which status of all the passengers is on waiting list even after preparation of reservation charts, names of all such passengers booked on that  Passenger Name Record (PNR) shall  be dropped from the reservation chart and  refund of fare shall be credited to the customer’s account  after deducting the clerkage.
• In case on a party e-ticket or a family e-ticket issued for travel of more than one person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are on the list of RAC and waiting list, then in case of passengers on RAC or waitlisted not travelling, a certificate has to be obtained from the ticket checking staff to that effect and refund of fare shall be processed online through TDR, indicating the details of the certificate issued by ticket checking staff.
• The online TDR shall be filed upto seventy two hours of actual arrival of the train at passenger’s destination and the original certificate issued by the ticket checking staff is to be sent through post to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The fare shall be refunded by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to the customer’s account after due verification.
• In case of e-tickets (confirmed or RAC), if the reservation charts have been   prepared, online TDR is required to be filed for obtaining refund. No refund of fare shall be admissible on e- ticket having confirmed reservation in case the request for refund is filed online after two hours of the actual departure of the train.
• No refund of fare shall be admissible on RAC e-tickets in case the request for refund is filed online after three hours of the actual departure of the train.

• No refund of fare shall be admissible on confirmed Tatkal ticket.
• In case of Tatkal ticket on waitlist, refund of fare shall be granted in accordance with rule for unused waitlisted or RAC tickets.
• In case on a party Tatkal ticket or a family Tatkal ticket issued for travel for more than one person, some persons have confirmed reservation and others are on waiting list, full refund of fare, less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also provided that the entire Tatkal ticket is surrendered for cancellation within six hours before the scheduled departure of the train or upto two hours of the actual departure of the train.

• No cancellation charge or clerkage shall be levied and full fare shall be refunded to all passengers holding reserved, RAC and waitlisted tickets, if the journey is not undertaken due to late running of the train by more than three hours of the scheduled departure of the train from the station commencing the journey subject to condition that the ticket is surrendered upto the actual departure of the train instead of existing 3/6/12 hours for distance 200 kms/200-500 kms/500 Kms and above after the actual departure of the train.
• In case of e-tickets, the TDR  is filed online before the actual departure of  the train for availing full refund.
• In case the ticket is cancelled or surrendered or if the request for refund of fare is filed  online after the actual departure of the train, no refund of fare shall be admissible.

The post The Revised Refund Rules will Effect From 01.07.2013 – Indian Railways Undertakes Comprehensive Revision of its Refund Rules appeared first on CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES NEWS.

ONE OF THE PASSENGERS BOOKED ON A NON-TATKAL TICKET NEEDS TO PRODUCE ONE OF THE PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY IN ORIGINAL DURING THE JOURNEY

THE PASSENGERS UNDERTAKING JOURNEY ON TATKAL TICKET HAVE TO PRODUCE THE SAME ORIGINAL PRESCRIBED PROOF OF IDENTITY AS INDICATED ON THE TICKET

PASSENGERS TRAVELLING WITHOUT AN ORIGINAL IDENTIFY PROOF WOULD BE TREATED AS WITHOUT TICKET AND CHARGED ACCORDINGLY.

WHILE PURCHASING RESERVED TICKETS THROUGH PRS COUNTERS, SHOWING ORIGINAL OR ATTACHING PHOTOCOPY OF THE IDENTITY CARD IS NOT REQUIRED EXCEPT WHILE PURCHASING TATKAL TICKETS WHERE PHOTOCOPY NEEDS TO BE ATTACHED AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE

THE MOVE AIMS TO FACILITATE THE TRAVEL OF BONAFIDE AND LEGITIMATE PASSENGERS AND TO REDUCE THE SCOPE FOR MISUSE OF RESERVED TICKETING SYSTEM BY UNSCRUPULOUS ELEMENTS/MIDDLEMAN

THE LIST OF PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO COVER MORE VARIETY OF PHOTO IDENTITY CARDS FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE PASSENGERS

As a major initiative to further facilitate the travel of bonafide and legitimate passengers and to reduce the scope for misuse of reserved ticketing system by unscrupulous elements/middlemen, the Ministry of Railways has now made it compulsory to carry prescribed original proof of identity cards during train travel on all reserved classes of tickets. While this provision was made compulsory for Air Conditioned classes w.e.f. 15th February 2012, the provision for all remaining classes was made effective from 1st December 2012. In a nutshell, now all categories of passengers travelling in reserved classes will have to produce original proof of prescribed identity cards during the train journey. Those travelling without an original identify proof shall be treated as without ticket and charged accordingly.

In case of travel by a group on the same PNR, any one member in the group travelling on a single PNR needs to carry the prescribed identity proof in original which will be valid for all. In case of Tatkal tickets, the same original proof of identity as mentioned at the time of purchase of he Tatkal tickets (which is also indicated on the ticket) needs to be carried while travelling.

Moreover, in case of purchasing Tatkal tickets from PRS counters, it is necessary to attach only the self-attested photocopy of the prescribed identity card with the requisition slip, whereas while booking Tatkal ticket though internet, the number and type of proof of identity has to be indicated. However, at the time of purchasing non-Tatkal tickets from PRS counters, there is no need either to show original prescribed identity card or attach any self-attested photocopy of the identity card.

The Ministry of Railways has also expanded the list of prescribed proofs of identity to cover more variety of Photo Identity Cards for the convenience of the passengers. Keeping rural travelling public in mind, the identity cards like Voter Card, Ration Card, Below Poverty Line Card, Cards issued by Panchayat Administration Unique Identity Card, Aadhaar, ESI Cards, Senior Citizen Cards, Student Identity Card, Bank Passbook with photograph etc. have been included in the list. The complete expanded list of the prescribed proofs of identity for undertaking journeys on Tatkal ticket and other reserved classes will now be as follows:
1. Voter Photo identity card issued by Election Commission of India.

2. Passport.

3. PAN Card issued by Income Tax Department.

4. Driving Licence issued by RTO.

5. Photo identity card having serial number issued by Central/State Government which include the following:
(i) Pension Pay Order s(PPO)
(ii) Ration Card with photographs
(iii) Senior Citizen cards
(iv) Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards
(v) ESI cards (with photograph) issued for taking treatment in ESI dispensaries.
(vi) CGHS Cards (with photograph) issued to individual family members of Central Govt. employees.

6. Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their students.

7. Nationalized Bank Passbook with photographs.

8. Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph.

9. Unique Identification Card “Aadhaar”.

10. Photo identity cards having serial number issued by Public Sector Undertakings of State/Central Government, District Administrations, Municipal bodies and Panchayat Administrations.

This new change of policy of making identity card compulsory during reserved travel is aimed at facilitating the travel of bonafide and genuine passengers and simultaneously to check the scope for travel on transferred tickets. It is also considered that this policy provision shall also be useful from the security point of view.

Railways has given wide publicity to these instructions through Press Notes, Press Advertisements, Display Boards, Announcement though Public Addresses, etc. for the convenience of the traveling people.

It will be relevant to mention that only five per cent of the total passenger travelling daily on Indian Railway trains travel in reserved classes. All the Mail & Express trains have non-reserved ordinary Second Class coaches along with the reserved classes coaches for those who wish to travel in non-reserved classes wherein carrying of identity card is not compulsory.

PIB

The post ONE OF THE PASSENGERS BOOKED ON A NON-TATKAL TICKET NEEDS TO PRODUCE ONE OF THE PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY IN ORIGINAL DURING THE JOURNEY appeared first on CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES NEWS.

ONE OF THE PASSENGERS BOOKED ON A NON-TATKAL TICKET NEEDS TO PRODUCE ONE OF THE PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY IN ORIGINAL DURING THE JOURNEY

THE PASSENGERS UNDERTAKING JOURNEY ON TATKAL TICKET HAVE TO PRODUCE THE SAME ORIGINAL PRESCRIBED PROOF OF IDENTITY AS INDICATED ON THE TICKET

PASSENGERS TRAVELLING WITHOUT AN ORIGINAL IDENTIFY PROOF WOULD BE TREATED AS WITHOUT TICKET AND CHARGED ACCORDINGLY.

WHILE PURCHASING RESERVED TICKETS THROUGH PRS COUNTERS, SHOWING ORIGINAL OR ATTACHING PHOTOCOPY OF THE IDENTITY CARD IS NOT REQUIRED EXCEPT WHILE PURCHASING TATKAL TICKETS WHERE PHOTOCOPY NEEDS TO BE ATTACHED AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE

THE MOVE AIMS TO FACILITATE THE TRAVEL OF BONAFIDE AND LEGITIMATE PASSENGERS AND TO REDUCE THE SCOPE FOR MISUSE OF RESERVED TICKETING SYSTEM BY UNSCRUPULOUS ELEMENTS/MIDDLEMAN

THE LIST OF PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO COVER MORE VARIETY OF PHOTO IDENTITY CARDS FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE PASSENGERS

As a major initiative to further facilitate the travel of bonafide and legitimate passengers and to reduce the scope for misuse of reserved ticketing system by unscrupulous elements/middlemen, the Ministry of Railways has now made it compulsory to carry prescribed original proof of identity cards during train travel on all reserved classes of tickets. While this provision was made compulsory for Air Conditioned classes w.e.f. 15th February 2012, the provision for all remaining classes was made effective from 1st December 2012. In a nutshell, now all categories of passengers travelling in reserved classes will have to produce original proof of prescribed identity cards during the train journey. Those travelling without an original identify proof shall be treated as without ticket and charged accordingly.

In case of travel by a group on the same PNR, any one member in the group travelling on a single PNR needs to carry the prescribed identity proof in original which will be valid for all. In case of Tatkal tickets, the same original proof of identity as mentioned at the time of purchase of he Tatkal tickets (which is also indicated on the ticket) needs to be carried while travelling.

Moreover, in case of purchasing Tatkal tickets from PRS counters, it is necessary to attach only the self-attested photocopy of the prescribed identity card with the requisition slip, whereas while booking Tatkal ticket though internet, the number and type of proof of identity has to be indicated. However, at the time of purchasing non-Tatkal tickets from PRS counters, there is no need either to show original prescribed identity card or attach any self-attested photocopy of the identity card.

The Ministry of Railways has also expanded the list of prescribed proofs of identity to cover more variety of Photo Identity Cards for the convenience of the passengers. Keeping rural travelling public in mind, the identity cards like Voter Card, Ration Card, Below Poverty Line Card, Cards issued by Panchayat Administration Unique Identity Card, Aadhaar, ESI Cards, Senior Citizen Cards, Student Identity Card, Bank Passbook with photograph etc. have been included in the list. The complete expanded list of the prescribed proofs of identity for undertaking journeys on Tatkal ticket and other reserved classes will now be as follows:
1. Voter Photo identity card issued by Election Commission of India.

2. Passport.

3. PAN Card issued by Income Tax Department.

4. Driving Licence issued by RTO.

5. Photo identity card having serial number issued by Central/State Government which include the following:
(i) Pension Pay Order s(PPO)
(ii) Ration Card with photographs
(iii) Senior Citizen cards
(iv) Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards
(v) ESI cards (with photograph) issued for taking treatment in ESI dispensaries.
(vi) CGHS Cards (with photograph) issued to individual family members of Central Govt. employees.

6. Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their students.

7. Nationalized Bank Passbook with photographs.

8. Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph.

9. Unique Identification Card “Aadhaar”.

10. Photo identity cards having serial number issued by Public Sector Undertakings of State/Central Government, District Administrations, Municipal bodies and Panchayat Administrations.

This new change of policy of making identity card compulsory during reserved travel is aimed at facilitating the travel of bonafide and genuine passengers and simultaneously to check the scope for travel on transferred tickets. It is also considered that this policy provision shall also be useful from the security point of view.

Railways has given wide publicity to these instructions through Press Notes, Press Advertisements, Display Boards, Announcement though Public Addresses, etc. for the convenience of the traveling people.

It will be relevant to mention that only five per cent of the total passenger travelling daily on Indian Railway trains travel in reserved classes. All the Mail & Express trains have non-reserved ordinary Second Class coaches along with the reserved classes coaches for those who wish to travel in non-reserved classes wherein carrying of identity card is not compulsory.

PIB

The post ONE OF THE PASSENGERS BOOKED ON A NON-TATKAL TICKET NEEDS TO PRODUCE ONE OF THE PRESCRIBED PROOFS OF IDENTITY IN ORIGINAL DURING THE JOURNEY appeared first on CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES NEWS.