Indian Railways May Remove Clerkage Fee on Cancelled Tickets – Big Relief for Passengers
Train Travelers: Indian Railways is considering a major passenger-friendly move—reducing or possibly scrapping the clerkage fee charged on cancelled waitlisted tickets. This change could significantly reduce the financial burden on travelers, especially those whose tickets remain unconfirmed but still face deductions during refunds.
Why the Change?
As more passengers switch to online ticket booking, the operational cost of ticketing has dropped. With this in mind, railway officials are reviewing the current cancellation policies to make them more reasonable and customer-friendly.
According to a senior official quoted by The Times of India, clerkage charges were initially introduced to cover administrative costs related to ticket processing. These charges go directly into Indian Railways’ maintenance and operations fund. But now, with digitisation reducing backend costs, there’s a strong case for cutting down these fees.
How Much Is the Clerkage Fee Right Now?
Here’s what passengers currently pay if they cancel a reserved or unreserved ticket:
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₹60 for air-conditioned (AC) and non-air-conditioned reserved coaches
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₹30 for unreserved second-class tickets
Even when booking through the IRCTC website or app, these charges apply. Additionally, IRCTC adds a convenience fee of:
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₹30 for AC tickets
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₹15 for non-AC tickets
This means a passenger may lose ₹90 or more simply for cancelling a ticket that never got confirmed.
Tatkal Ticket Bookings Just Got Stricter
From July 1, 2025, booking Tatkal tickets online will require ID verification. Passengers will need to verify their identity using Aadhaar or other valid government-issued IDs linked through DigiLocker.
Indian Railways aims to make the booking system more secure and prevent misuse by agents and bots. An OTP-based authentication system is also expected to roll out later in July, making the process even more secure.
New Reservation Chart Timings for Better Planning
In another big update, Indian Railways will now prepare reservation charts eight hours before train departure—a change from the current four-hour window.
For trains scheduled before 2 PM, the charts will now be prepared by 9 PM the previous night. This move is designed to reduce last-minute confusion and help passengers, especially those boarding at smaller or nearby stations, to plan their journeys better.
Conclusion
Train Travelers: These proposed changes—waiving the clerkage fee, tightening Tatkal bookings, and revising chart timings—show Indian Railways’ push toward a more transparent, secure, and passenger-focused system. If implemented, they will not only save money for travelers but also simplify the overall travel experience.
Stay tuned as Indian Railways finalizes these changes in the coming weeks.
