Vande Bharat Sleeper, Amrit Bharat ticket rules change as Railways makes refunds stricter for passengers; check details here
According to the statement made by the Railways Board, passengers will lose 50 percent of the ticket fee, and if the ticket is canceled between 72 hours and 8 hours, no refund will be made for cancellations made 8 hours before departure.
Ahead of the start of the Vande Bharat Sleeper train, the commercial operation of Amrit Bharat trains, Indian Railways announced stricter cancellation and refund rules, introduced higher deductibles and no refunds for last-minute cancellations. Passengers who cancel their confirmed Vande Bharat sleeper tickets more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure will be refunded after a 25 per cent deduction as per the Railway Board notification.
Vande Bharat Sleeper, Amrit Bharat ticket rule
According to the statement made by the Railways Board, passengers will lose 50 percent of the ticket fee, and if the ticket is canceled between 72 hours and 8 hours, no refund will be made for cancellations made 8 hours before departure. Refunds will also not be allowed if passengers fail to cancel the ticket or apply for a TDR online within the specified time.
Earlier, the Railways had also announced that Vande Bharat sleeper trains will not have RAC tickets and the minimum distance that can be charged will be 400 km. Only female quota, elderly quota, disabled quota and duty card reservations will be allowed.
The minimum chargeable distance for the newly launched Amrit Bharat-II Express will be 200 km without RAC provision. The move signals stricter refund norms as Indian Railways prepares to expand premium long-distance services.
Vande Bharat Sleeper train from Malda entered service
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train from Malda in West Bengal, marking a major milestone in the ongoing modernization of Indian Railways. The state-of-the-art sleeper version of the Vande Bharat Express will operate on the Howrah-Guwahati (Kamakhya) route. The launch of the Vande Bharat sleeper train is part of a series of major rail and infrastructure initiatives aimed at strengthening connectivity between eastern India and the Northeast. According to the official statement, the new generation train will have a total capacity of 823 passengers with a 16-wagon rake. The composition consisting of 11 AC 3-Deck wagons, 4 AC 2-Deck wagons and 1 First Class AC wagon offers comfortable travel options for different passenger segments.
