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Indian Railways charging full fare from RAC passengers ‘not justified’, says Parliament panel; calls for partial refund

IRCTC RAC Train Ticket Fare Refund: Beginning this year, the national transporter has revised the rules for RAC ticket holders. It fully restricted the boarding for RAC passengers on 13 trains, including the Howrah–Kamakhya–Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper Express.

3 min readUpdated: Feb 6, 2026 10:28 AM IST

RAC fare issue in Parliament: Panel pushes for partial refund when passengers don’t get full berth (Image generated using AI)

RAC ticket partial refund, Indian Railway RAC Train Ticket Fare Refund: A Parliamentary committee has suggested the Ministry of Railways to devise a mechanism for partially refund ticket fares to RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) passengers who are charged the full fare but do not get a full berth during travel.

Parliament panel seeks partial refund for RAC passengers denied full berth

In its report titled ‘Punctuality and Travel Time in Train Operations in Indian Railways’, tabled in Parliament on February 4, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said that charging full fare from RAC passengers without a berth facility is ‘not justified’.

“The Committee also feel that charging of full fare for tickets under RAC and where the ticket holder continues in RAC category after Chart Preparation without berth facility is not justified and, therefore, desire that the Ministry should devise a mechanism to refund partial fare to the customer/traveler who could not get full berth but had to pay full charges at the time of boarding,” the statement reads.

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RAC ticket refund news

At present, according to IRCTC, no refund of fare is admissible on RAC e-tickets if the ticket is not cancelled or a TDR is not filed online up to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train.

“In case, on a party e-ticket or a family e-ticket issued for travel of more than one passenger, some passengers have confirmed reservation and others are on RAC or waiting list, full refund of fare , less clerkage, shall be admissible for confirmed passengers also subject to the condition that the ticket shall be cancelled online or online TDR shall be filed for all the passengers upto thirty minutes before the scheduled departure of the train,” it said.

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RAC travel in train

Beginning this year, the national transporter has revised the rules for RAC ticket holders. It fully restricted the boarding for RAC passengers on 13 trains, including the Howrah–Kamakhya–Howrah Vande Bharat Sleeper Express. Here is the full list of 12 trains where RAC ticket holders are not permitted to travel:

Guwahati (Kamakhya) – Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express
Dibrugarh – Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) Amrit Bharat Express
New Jalpaiguri – Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express
New Jalpaiguri – Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express
Alipurduar – SMVT Bengaluru Amrit Bharat Express
Alipurduar – Mumbai (Panvel) Amrit Bharat Express
Kolkata (Santragachi) – Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express
Kolkata (Howrah) – Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express
Kolkata (Sealdah) – Banaras Amrit Bharat Express
Thiruvananthapuram Central-Tambaram Amrit Bharat Express
Thiruvananthapuram North-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express
Nagercoil Jn-Mangaluru Jn Amrit Bharat Express

Anish Mondal

Anish Mondal is a journalist with over nine years of experience covering the railways and roadways. Currently a member of the Indianexpress.com editorial team, Anish specializes in high-impact sectors. Professional Journey Anish began his career at the public broadcaster Rajya Sabha Television (now Sansad TV), where he developed a foundational understanding of legislative processes and national governance. In 2018, he transitioned to digital financial journalism at FinancialExpress.com, spending nearly six years refining his expertise in market trends and corporate reporting. Before joining The Indian Express in 2025, he served as a key contributor at ETNowNews.com. Education & Expertise Anish’s reporting is backed by a rigorous academic background in communication and the humanities: Master of Journalism and Mass Communication (MJMC) – Apeejay Stya University Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Production (PGTVRJP) – Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication Bachelor of Arts (English Honours) – University of Calcutta Areas of Coverage Connectivity: Detailed reporting on the expansion of Indian Railways and National Highway networks. ... Read More

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