New Delhi: Amid the anticipated protests scheduled in the national capital on October 10, the Indian Railways has announced the cancellation of all mail and express trains arriving at the New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4:00 AM and 2:00 PM. This massive disruption is expected to affect thousands of commuters, as the two major transit hubs collectively handle approximately 75,000 passengers daily.
The railway authorities are actively notifying affected passengers via text messages. However, the sudden cancellations have left many travellers anxious about the fate of their booked tickets and the refund process. According to official railway guidelines, if a train is entirely cancelled by the authorities, passengers are entitled to a full refund without any deduction of cancellation or clerkage charges.
The procedure to claim this refund varies based on the mode of ticket booking:
For Online E-Tickets Passengers who booked their tickets through the IRCTC website or mobile application do not need to manually cancel their tickets or file a separate refund request. The railway system automatically cancels the e-tickets for the affected trains and initiates the refund process. The entire booking amount is credited back to the original payment source—whether a bank account, credit card, or UPI—within a few working days.
For Counter Tickets Travellers who purchased their tickets offline from a railway reservation counter must physically surrender their tickets to claim their money. According to the rules, the ticket must be submitted at the reservation counter within 72 hours of the train’s scheduled departure time to process the full refund.
Diverted Or Partially Cancelled Trains In cases where a train’s route is diverted, terminated short of its destination, or partially cancelled, the refund rules differ. Passengers with online tickets may be required to file a Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR) online, strictly adhering to the prescribed time limits mentioned on the IRCTC portal.
Railway officials have advised passengers to verify the latest guidelines on the official website before applying. In case of any delays or discrepancies in receiving the refund, individuals can reach out to the railway helpline at 139 or register a grievance on the RailMadad portal.