All You Need To Know About Train Cancellations And Refund PoliciesIf you want to retract train tickets booked with the Indian Railways, facility is provided to cancel your physical and virtual bookings through the official website of IRCTC

In wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Indian Railways has suspended all its operations until April 14, 2020. Given the severity of the situation, the suspension may be extended even further. If you were scheduled to travel during this time, it's better to cancel your tickets. You can avail full refund through the official website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

Here's everything you need to know about the refund policies, IRCTC charges, and more.

How To Cancel Your Counter Ticket And Claim Refund?

• First, you need to enter your passenger name record (PNR) number, train number and captcha on IRCTC's Web portal.
• Select the checkbox to confirm that you've read the terms and conditions.
• Once you click on the submit button, you will receive a one-time password (OTP) on the mobile number provided at the time of booking. You need to enter the OTP and then click submit.
• After the OTP is validated, the screen will display PNR details.
• After you verify the details, click on the "cancel ticket' tab for full cancellation. Then the refund amount will be displayed on the screen.
• You will receive a short message service (SMS) with your PNR and refund details. The SMS should read "Your PNR XXXXXXX has been cancelled. Collect refund amount XXXX from journey commencing station or nearby satellite PRS Legislative Research locations, reference terms and conditions.'
• 如果你想取消你的票之前24小时of scheduled train departure time, you can collect your refund of fare as permissible from any PRS counters of Indian Railways by submitting the original PRS counter ticket. However, the cancellation can be only done up to four hours before the scheduled departure time of the train in case of confirmed tickets and up to thirty minutes before the scheduled departure time of train in case of reservation against cancellation (RAC)/waitlisted tickets.
• You can also claim for the refund offline. Visit the nearest PRS counter of Indian Railways and fill the cancellation requisition form with PNR and cancelled train details. You will receive your refund in the same mode that you had paid for the ticket.

Cancellation Rules To Remember For Counter Tickets

• You can only cancel your ticket online if you have a registered mobile number.
• Cancellation of tickets and refund of fare is typically permitted for PRS counter tickets under normal circumstances only and not in case of delayed trains or cancellation of train.
• When you confirm full cancellation of PNR, it will be marked as "cancelled' but not "refunded' in the system. That means only the seat/berth will be released. The refund amount due will be displayed on the screen.

How To Cancel Your E-ticket And Claim Refund?

• When it comes to e-ticket cancellation, the procedure is a little different. If you want to cancel your e-ticket, you need to do it before the chart preparation of the train. For trains commencing their journeys up to 12 noon, the chart preparation is usually completed on the night before.
• You can log on towww.irctc.co.inand go to "booked tickets' link, then select the ticket that needs to be cancelled to initiate the cancellation process.
• Once the cancellation is confirmed online, the refund will be credited back to the bank account used for booking as for tickets booked online.
• In case of partial cancellation of ticket, you need to ensure that a fresh electronic reservation slip is printed separately as done for the original ticket.
• Do note that you can't cancel your e-ticket from railway counters.

Cancellation Of E-ticket Before Chart Preparation: Permissible Refund Amount

If you cancel your confirmed ticket more than 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, flat cancellation charges shall be deducted at

• INR 240 for AC first class/executive class.
• INR 200 for AC 2 tier/first class.
• INR 180 for AC 3 tier/AC chair car/ AC 3 economy.
• INR 120 for sleeper class.
• INR 60 for second class.

Charges are applicable on a per person basis:

• If you cancel a confirmed ticket within 48 hours and up to 12 hours before the train's scheduled departure time, cancellation charges shall be 25 per cent of the original fare, subject to minimum flat rate mentioned.
• If you cancel a confirmed ticket within 12 hours and up to four hours before the scheduled departure of the train, the cancellation charges shall be 50 per cent of the original fare, subject to the minimum cancellation rate.

Things To Note

• You cannot cancel your confirmed e-ticket after chart is prepared.
• You cannot claim refund on confirmed Tatkal tickets.
• You can claim full refund on your ticket if the train is marked as "cancelled' in PRS. However, you need to cancel the ticket within four days of scheduled departure time.
• The railways have announced that auto refund will be provided to passengers for all cancelled trains. Passengers need not to cancel it explicitly.