- By Aditya Jha
- Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Railways News: In a major relief, the railways on Tuesday announced that the passengers will be able to change the travel date of their confirmed tickets online without any fee. Currently, the passengers have to cancel their tickets and book a new one for changes in the travel date, leading to major deductions at times. However, the new system will provide conveniences, as the passengers will be able to change the travel date without cancelling their confirmed tickets. The authority also stated that similar steps are set to be taken in the upcoming months to simplify the ticket booking/cancellation process.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the changes will be implemented from January 2026, adding that instructions have been issued to make the new changes. "This system is unfair and not in the interest of passengers," the railway minister told NDTV. However, Vaishnaw clarified that the passengers will not get any guarantee of getting a confirmed ticket for the new tickets. He stated that the passengers changing the dates will be allocated the seats depending on the availability.
The railway minister also stated that the passengers will have to pay extra if the new ticket costs more. Currently, cancelling a confirmed ticket 48 to 12 hours before departure results in a 25 per cent deduction from the fare. Apart from this, refunds for cancellation are not granted usually if the reservation chart is prepared. Apart from this, four new railway projects were unveiled by the Union Cabinet to provide a major boost to the rail infrastructure.
The authority stated that the projects worth Rs 24,634 were approved in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The four projects approved by the Union Cabinet covered 18 districts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh. The proposed plan will expand the Indian Railways network by approximately 894 km.