Train cancelled? Know IRCTC rules to check status, get ticket refund

One of the most searched queries by railway passengers is — "how much refund will they get after the cancellation of train tickets"?

In fact, a money refund for train ticket cancellation depends on several factors, including; the time of cancellation before the departure of the train, the status of the train, partially confirmed or unreserved reservation, etc., the Indian Railways considers such reasons while offering a refund.

The unexpected weather change in some parts of India also leads to unwanted rescheduling and cancellations of trains.

According to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), people need not cancel the tickets they have booked online for those trains that have been cancelled and they will get a full refund automatically.

Sometimes, your train, which has a confirmed reservation, gets cancelled by the Indian Railways for some reasons like protests, rains, fog, etc.

For cancellation of trains, an automatic full refund of fare on the confirmed or (Reservation Against Cancellation) RAC e-tickets gets directly credited into the account by the IRCTC from which the booking transaction took place and an online cancellation or filing of Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR) is not required.

There are also times when the train is running late more than three hours before the scheduled departure, in this situation, no train cancellation charge shall be levied and the full fare shall be refunded to the passenger. 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, then no refund of fare shall be admissible.

How to check if your train is cancelled or not?

Here's how you can check if your train is cancelled, rescheduled, diverted or source-changed

• Visit the official website of IRCTC -- www.irctc.co.in

• Click on 'PNR status' on the homepage

• You will be redirected to 'Passenger Current Status Enquiry' page

• Enter the PNR for your booking to see the current status of your train

• You will find the PNR on the top left corner of the train ticket

Here are the rules for the train ticket cancellation procedure

• Enter PNR Number, train number along with Captcha

• Select check box to confirm that you have rules and procedure

• Submit OTP sent to your registered mobile number, enter the received OTP and click on 'submit'

• Your train's PNR details will be displayed

• For full cancellation, click on ‘Cancel Ticket’ after verifying the details

• Refund amount due will be displayed on the screen

• An SMS will be sent with PNR and refund details

About IRCTC

The IRCTC) is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Railways Ministry, Government of India. It was incorporated on September 27, 1999 as an extended arm of the Indian Railways to upgrade, professionalise and manage the catering and hospitality services at stations, on trains and other locations and to promote domestic and international tourism through the development of budget hotels, special tour packages, information and commercial publicity and global reservation systems.