Passengers may soon be able to change the travel date of their confirmed train tickets online without paying any additional fee. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told NDTV that the facility is expected to be introduced from January 2026, adding that instructions have already been issued to initiate the process.
Calling the current system “unfair and not in the interest of passengers,” Vaishnaw said the move aims to make rescheduling easier for those who book tickets online.
At present, passengers are not allowed to modify the journey date for online tickets. To travel on a different day, they must cancel the existing ticket and book a new one, which involves paying cancellation charges.
Under the upcoming system, passengers will be able to change their travel date online without paying a fee. However, the railway minister pointed out that there is no assurance of a confirmed seat on the new date, as it will depend on availability.
If the fare on the rescheduled date is higher, passengers will be required to pay the difference in ticket cost.
Meanwhile, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced revised guidelines for the online reservation of general tickets, which is applicable from October 1, 2025.
The new guidelines apply only to online bookings of reserved general tickets made through the IRCTC website or mobile app and are linked to Aadhaar-authenticated users. IRCTC said the step aims to prevent misuse of the ticket reservation system by unauthorised agents and other intermediaries.
The corporation clarified that the changes will not affect ticket bookings made through computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters of Indian Railways, and the existing booking timings will remain unchanged.
