Indian Railways mulls higher refunds on cancelled tickets
Indian Railways is looking to make canceled and waitlisted ticket refunds better by cutting or dropping the clerkage fee (currently ₹60 for AC/non-AC, ₹30 for unreserved).
Right now, waitlisted passengers don't get this fee back at all.
Railways wants to pass some of those savings back
This change could make train travel a bit friendlier—especially if you book online through IRCTC, which has already made booking smoother and cheaper to run.
With more people booking online, Railways wants to pass some of those savings back to travelers.
Other changes in train travel from July
From July 2025, Tatkal bookings will need Aadhaar verification (plus OTPs later that month), making things safer and reducing misuse.
Also, reservation charts will be ready eight hours before your train leaves (instead of four).
Recent tweaks include faster refunds (within 48 hours) and shorter advance booking windows (now 90 days).