Parliament Question: Revised Ticket Cancellation Policy

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3138 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026 REVISED TICKET CANCELLATION POLICY 3138. DR. RAJ KUMAR CHABBEWAL: MS SAYANI GHOSH: Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has introduced or proposes to introduce Vande Bharat Sleeper trains with a revised ticket cancellation policy and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether it is a fact that cancellation of tickets for Vande Bharat Sleeper services is likely to be a strict/costly affair for passengers as compared to conventional mail/express trains/other categories of trains and if so, the details thereof; (c) the details of cancellation charges applicable for different classes in Vande Bharat Sleeper trains and the rationale behind fixing higher charges; (d) whether the Government acknowledges that such rules limit passenger flexibility particularly in cases of emergencies, illness or unforeseen circumstances and if so, the details thereof; (e) whether the Railways has assessed the impact of such cancellation charges on middleclass passengers, senior citizens and families, particularly in cases of medical or unavoidable emergencies before finalizing these norms and if so, the details thereof; (f) the rationale for imposing unequal and harsher cancellation penalties on passengers of Vande Bharat Sleeper trains despite higher fares being charged; (g) whether the Government proposes to review or rationalise the cancellation and refund policy to make it more passenger-friendly and equitable and if so, the details thereof; and --2/- §-2- (h) whether the advance preparation of reservation charts at 8 hours instead of 4 hours has further reduced passengers ability to cancel tickets without severe financial loss and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW) (a) to (h): With a view to improve travel experience of the passengers, Indian Railways has introduced indigenously designed and manufactured Vande Bharat Sleeper trains with modern coaches, advanced safety features and passenger amenities. Broad Technological advancements and safety features provided in these Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains are as below: • Jerk-Free Semi permanent couplers and Anti Climbers. • Fitted with KAVACH. • Higher acceleration with design/operating speed of 180/160 KMPH. • Crashworthy Design of Car body complying with EN standards. • Fire barrier doors at the end of each coach for compliance of Fire Safety standards. • Aerosol based fire detection and suppression system in electrical cabinets and lavatories. • Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency. • Air conditioning units provided with indigenously developed UV-C lamp based disinfection system for deactivating 99% harmful bacteria from conditioned air to improve the hygiene standards inside the passenger area. --3/--3- • Centrally controlled Automatic Plug Doors and Fully Sealed wider gangways. • CCTVs in all coaches. • Emergency talk-back unit for communication between Passenger and Train Manager/Loco Pilot in case of emergency. • For Divyangjan passengers special lavatory in the driving coaches on each end. • Centralized Coach Monitoring System for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as Air conditioning, Saloon Lighting etc. • Ergonomically designed ladder for ease of climbing on to upper berths. These trains have been introduced with separate fare structure, rationalized booking features and separate Refund Rules. Cancellation of tickets and refund of fare for Vande Bharat Sleeper is governed by The Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fare) Amendment Rules, 2026 issued vide gazette notification No. 41 (E) dated 16.01.2026. In the case of cancellation of waitlisted or partially confirmed tickets, there is no change in time limit as well as rate of cancellation of tickets for these train services. Furthermore, in order to disincentivize speculative booking by unscrupulous elements, the minimum cancellation charges for tickets of these trains have been rationalized. In most of the circumstances, cancellation of tickets is independent of the time of preparation of reservation chart. Further, review and rationalization of policy is an ongoing and continuous process. *****