The cancellation of railway tickets has emerged as a serious income for the Indian Railways, as revealed by knowledge obtained by a Right To Information (RTI) question. The Railway Ministry disclosed that between 2021 and 2024, the railways garnered a powerful Rs 1,229 crores from cancelled waiting list tickets. This info was supplied in response to an RTI utility filed by activist Vivek Pandey from Madhya Pradesh, indicating a constant upward development in income generated by ticket cancellations over time.
What did RTI reply reveal?
According to the RTI reply, in 2021, a complete of two.53 crore tickets on the waiting list have been cancelled, leading to earnings of Rs 242.68 crore for the Railways. In 2022, the variety of cancelled tickets elevated to 4.6 crore, with earnings rising to Rs 439 crore. Similarly, in 2023, the Railways earned Rs 505 crore from a complete of 5.36 crore cancelled tickets. Even in January 2024 alone, the earnings amounted to Rs 43 crore from 45.86 lakh cancelled tickets.
During Diwali final 12 months, spanning November 5 to November 17, the Railways witnessed a considerable surge in ticket cancellations, totalling 96.18 lakh cancellations. This included cancellations for confirmed, reservation in opposition to cancellation (RAC), and waiting list tickets. Consequently, the Railways recorded earnings of Rs 10.37 crore as ‘complete cancellation incomes’ from all classes of tickets throughout this era.
Railway tickets cancellation fees
Cancellation fees for railway tickets are decided by the category of journey and the timing of cancellation relative to the scheduled departure of the practice. In circumstances the place a confirmed ticket is cancelled greater than 48 hours earlier than the practice’s scheduled departure, flat cancellation fees can be deducted:
- Rs 240/- for AC First Class/Executive Class
- Rs 200/- for AC 2 Tier/First Class
- Rs 180 for AC 3 Tier/AC Chair automobile/ AC 3 Economy
- Rs 120/- for Sleeper Class
- Rs 60/- for Second Class.
- If an RAC/waitlisted ticket is cancelled then Rs 60 per passenger is deducted.
E-tickets on IRCTC
It needs to be famous here that e-tickets purchased on-line by way of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) include a service cost, which stays non-refundable upon cancellation. The service cost quantity can fluctuate between Rs 10 to 30, relying on the mode of cost, akin to UPI, debit card, bank cards, internet banking, and others.
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