Indian Railways to Allow Free Online Ticket Date Change from January

The Indian Railways has announced a new passenger-friendly policy that will allow travellers to change the travel date on their confirmed train tickets online without any additional fee, starting January 2026.

In the current system, passengers must cancel and rebook tickets to change travel dates, causing deductions and inconvenience. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told NDTV that this process is “unfair” and confirmed that passenger-friendly changes will be introduced soon.

However, Vaishnaw clarified that confirmation of tickets for the new date will depend on seat availability, and if the fare for the rescheduled journey is higher, passengers will need to pay the difference.

Meanwhile, the IRCTC has introduced new guidelines for online booking of general tickets, effective October 1, 2025. These changes, applicable to Aadhaar-authenticated users, aim to curb misuse of the ticketing system by unauthorised agents.

As per existing rules, cancelling a confirmed ticket 12 to 48 hours before departure results in a 25% deduction from the fare, with higher penalties closer to departure. Once the reservation chart is prepared, refunds are generally not permitted.