New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Indian Railways has revised its rules for the cancellation of confirmed tickets to check misuse of the booking system by touts who indulge in black marketing. The new rules also give more flexibility to passengers for last-minute changes in boarding stations. The revised rules fix refunds for cancellation of tickets on the basis of time left for the departure of the train and also allow for a change in the boarding stations to give more flexibility to passengers.The revised rules will come into effect in phases between April 1 and April 15, 2026.Under the revised system, passengers cancelling tickets more than 72 hours before departure will receive the maximum refund, with only a flat cancellation charge per passenger. For cancellations made between 72 hours and 24 hours, 25 per cent of the fare will be deducted, subject to the minimum charge.

The penalty increases for late cancellations. If a ticket is cancelled between 24 hours and 8 hours before departure, 50 per cent of the fare will be deducted, subject to the minimum charge. For cancellations made less than 8 hours before departure, no refund will be permitted.“According to an assessment of ticketing patterns, touts would book extra tickets and cancel unsold ones before train departure times, gaining significant booking amounts back as refunds,” Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.He added that the decision to tighten the norms for refunds is expected to curb cornering of tickets by touts.Indian Railways has also allowed passengers to change their boarding station up to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train. The change is expected to help passengers in cities with multiple stations, where they can choose to board from a station of their convenience.The provision is expected to be useful in big cities with multiple stations, where passengers can opt to board from any of those stations, Railway Ministry said.At present, the change of boarding point is allowed only before the preparation of the chart. 

/IANS