Relief for train travellers: You will soon be able to reschedule tickets without any extra charge

Train travel can at times become a burden rather than a boon, especially when you need to reschedule your travel date. For instance, if you plan to travel on October 15 and for some unavoidable reason, you need to postpone your journey to another date, the procedure at present requires the traveller to cancel the existing ticket an rebook for another date, depending on how close to the travel time you cancel the ticket.

So, in the current cancellation framework, passengers who cancel their confirmed tickets between 48 and 12 hours prior to departure lose 25% of the fare. This percentage increases further for cancellations made closer to departure, and once the reservation chart is prepared, refunds are not permitted, thus the traveller losing a significant amount.

Come January, passengers will be allowed to reschedule confirmed railway tickets without paying any extra cost. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said that a new provision will be introduced in January 2026 that seeks to alleviate the stress and financial loss associated with last-minute travel plan changes. Rather than cancelling tickets, passengers will have the option to change their travel date online, without facing penalties.

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However, Vaishnaw clarified that rescheduling tickets and getting confirmed tickets for another date will depend on seat availability. "There’s no guarantee of getting a confirmed ticket for the new date," he said, according to reports. If the new ticket is priced higher than the original, the passenger will be required to pay the difference in fare.

The move is expected to benefit millions of passengers across the country who currently face limited flexibility and financial loss when they need to unexpectedly alter travel dates.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved four major multi-tracking railway projects across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh. The projects, with an estimated investment of ₹24,634 crore, aim to boost capacity and improve connectivity across 18 districts.

A Railway official was quoted as saying by PTI that the projects will expand Indian Railways' existing network by approximately 894 km, enabling smoother movement of people, goods, and services. The approved works includes the laying of a third and fourth line between Wardha and Bhusawal, spanning 314 km in Maharashtra, an 84 km fourth line between Gondia and Dongargarh, covering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and a 259 km third and fourth line between Vadodara and Ratlam in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

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"The approved multi-tracking project will enhance connectivity to approximately 3,633 villages, which have a population of about 85.84 lakh and two Aspirational Districts (Vidisha and Rajnandgaon),” a statement from the Railways Ministry said.

Vaishnaw, added that the expansion of line capacity would boost mobility and improve the operational efficiency and reliability of railway services. "The projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s vision of a New India which will make the people of the region 'Aatmanirbhar' by way of comprehensive development in the area that will enhance their employment/self-employment opportunities," PTI quoted him as saying.