Lok Sabha Question No. 3138 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Revised Ticket Cancellation Policy
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Ms Sayani Ghosh

§

## 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

- (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.

- 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.

*****