Passengers who purchase physical tickets from railway counters can now cancel them online through the IRCTC website or by dialling 139, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Friday.
However, to collect the refund, passengers will still need to visit the reservation centre.
The announcement came in response to a question raised by BJP MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni in the Rajya Sabha. Kulkarni asked whether passengers who purchase waiting list tickets from counters, rather than e-tickets, must visit the station before the train’s departure to cancel their tickets.
“Waitlisted PRS counter ticket shall be cancelled across the reservation counter on surrendering of the original PRS counter ticket as per time limit prescribed in Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fares) Rules 2015,”Vaishnaw said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
He added, “However, in normal circumstances, cancellation of PRS counter ticket can also be done online through IRCTC website or through 139 within the prescribed time limit as per Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fares) Rules 2015 and refund amount shall be collected by surrendering original PRS counter ticket across the reservation counters as per instructions issued from time to time.”
Vaishnaw clarified that while the online cancellation option provides convenience, passengers must still visit the reservation counter to collect the refund.