New Delhi, February 6: A parliamentary panel has flagged a long-standing grievance of train passengers travelling on RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) tickets and asked Indian Railways to work out a system for partial fare refunds.

In its report “Punctuality and Travel Time in Train Operations in Indian Railways”, tabled in Parliament on February 4, the Public Accounts Committee said charging full fare from RAC passengers who do not get a full berth is “not justified.” The committee noted that many passengers continue in RAC status even after chart preparation and are forced to share berths despite paying the complete ticket amount. Indian Railways New Trains: Railway Ministry Rolls Out TAG 2026 With 122 New Trains and Speed Upgrades for 549 Existing Services; Check Details.

The panel has urged the Railway Ministry to devise a clear mechanism to refund a portion of the fare to such passengers who are denied a full berth during the journey. Railway Ticket Price Hike: Indian Railways Fares To Go Up From December 26, To Yield INR 600 Crore Extra Revenue.

Current RAC Refund Rules

As per IRCTC, no refund is allowed on RAC e-tickets unless the ticket is cancelled or a TDR is filed online up to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train. In the case of family or group e-tickets, a full refund (minus clerkage) is allowed only if all passengers cancel or file TDR within the stipulated time.

New Restrictions on RAC Travel

From this year, Indian Railways has also restricted RAC passengers from boarding select premium trains. RAC travel is fully barred on 12 Amrit Bharat Express trains, including routes such as Kamakhya-Rohtak, New Jalpaiguri-Nagercoil, Howrah-Anand Vihar Terminal, and Thiruvananthapuram-Tambaram.

If implemented, the proposed RAC ticket partial refund policy could bring major relief to lakhs of train passengers who currently pay full fare without assured sleeping comfort.

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