The Indian Railways has introduced strict vigil measures against those who are travelling in the Railways with improper tickets. To be more specific, an improper ticket means you are travelling in the wrong coach (bogie) of the train, but the ticket itself is valid for travel. It's like saying you have four relatives travelling to Dehradun from Delhi but due to heavy demand, only two of your tickets are confirmed, the other two were put in the ‘waiting list’ category.
From May 1, 2025, if you face such a situation (partially confirmed and partially waitlisted ticket) only people with confirmed ticket will be allowed to travel. The remaining people with a waitlisted ticket won’t be allowed to travel even in sleeper class or any of the AC coaches (3E, 3AC, 2AC, etc). If you don’t follow this new rule, then the TTE is empowered to impose a heavy fine on you in violation of Section 155 of the Railways Act, 1989.
Read below to know what you can do in such a situation where half of your group got confirmed tickets, but the other half is still on the waiting list.
What are your options?
To reiterate the situation, you booked four Railway travel tickets, but only two tickets were confirmed, the other two were put in the waiting list category.
Sonal Alagh, Partner, Alagh & Kapoor Law Offices, shares the solution to this problem where you are on a waitlist ticket and neither got confirmation nor RAC even after the preparation of the chart.
Alagh says: “If an online ticket remains fully waitlisted even after final chart preparation, the IRCTC system automatically cancels it and refunds the fare, as per Rule 213-A of the Indian Railways Refund Rules, 2015, read with the IRCTC policy update. No physical cancellation is needed by the passengers. However, if a waitlisted passenger still wishes to travel, they must purchase a fresh Unreserved (General) class ticket, which is available either at station counters or through the UTS mobile app. Entry into general compartments without a valid general ticket constitutes unauthorised travel and is punishable under Section 137 of the Railways Act, 1989, which may include fine or imprisonment.”
This means the persons who are on the waitlist ticket even after preparation of the chart need to separately purchase (online through UTS App or offline) a general compartment ticket.
The above shared solution is not required in cases where the waitlist ticket is converted into an RAC ticket by the Indian Railways. To give you a brief background on waitlist tickets, usually they are confirmed at the time of chart preparation or put into RAC (reservation against cancellation). However, if there is a heavy demand for the train tickets, waitlist tickets do not get confirmed or get RAC, instead they are cancelled. In RAC, you pay the full price of the ticket, but you need to share your berth with another passenger.
Also read: IRCTC bans waiting list passengers from Sleeper and AC travel starting May 1, 2025
IRCTC Waitlist ticket refund rules for offline and online purchased tickets
Since a railway ticket can be bought from the station reservation counter (offline) and also from the IRCTC website/app (online) the process for getting refund for waiting list tickets which are not confirmed till the time of preparation of the chart differs. Here’s the process:
For online tickets: According to IRCTC website, “In case of wait-listed e-tickets on which all the passengers are on waiting list even after preparation of reservation chart, names of all such passengers booked on that Passenger Name Record (PNR) will be dropped from the reservation chart and refund of full fare will be credited automatically back to the account, from which booking transaction took place, without deducting any cancellation charges.”
For offline tickets: According to a report by the Economic Times which quoted PTI, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on March 25, 2025: "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. 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.”
What is the reason behind this solution?
This is not the best solution since the general compartment in a train is not as luxurious as AC compartments, but given the bad situation (4 tickets booked but only2confirmed) it is a better alternative. The other alternative is to cancel the entire train trip.
Ashish Yadav, Senior Associate, TAS LAW, says, the Indian Railways took this decision after widespread complaints and instances often seen in viral videos and photos circulated on social media wherein in many instances, passengers with confirmed tickets struggled to claim their seats due to overcrowding and unauthorised occupancy by waiting list passengers. “Hence the reason why effective from May 1, the TTE has provided the power to ask waiting list passengers to deboard at the next station if travelling in reserved AC or Sleeper compartments,” says Yadav.
Yadav from TAS LAW further adds: "The passengers holding waiting list tickets, whether booked online or through the ticket counter will now be treated as travelling without a valid ticket and are not permitted to board reserved AC or Sleeper compartments as per the recently implemented rules. Earlier, passengers having waiting list tickets booked through the physical counters were allowed to travel in AC or Sleeper compartments, but this is no longer allowed after these changes. Under the newly implemented rules, now such passengers will have to face penalties also if they board AC or Sleeper compartments without a confirmed ticket. If they still wish to travel, they must purchase a new ticket, even for travel in General compartments. TTEs have been instructed to strictly enforce these rules to ensure that only passengers with confirmed tickets are allowed in reserved AC or Sleeper compartments."
Alagh says, “Under the revised Indian Railways regulations effective May 1, 2025, waitlisted passengers are strictly prohibited from traveling in reserved compartments such as Sleeper and AC coaches, even if accompanying friends with confirmed tickets. This is in accordance with the Indian Railways Commercial Manual (Vol. I, Para 603) which outlines the requirement of a valid reservation for entry into reserved coaches.”
Punit Bhansali, Associate, MVAC Advocates & Solicitors, says: As per the new regulations, the waiting list passengers cannot travel without a valid ticket in the reserved coaches. Consequently, if any passenger is found travelling without a valid ticket a fine of Rs 250 for Sleeper coach and Rs 440 for AC coach will be charged. Additionally, the passenger will also be charged the fare from the boarding point to the next station and will be disembarked from the coach. If a waiting e-ticket remains unconfirmed after the final chart preparation, it will be automatically cancelled, and a refund will be processed to the passenger's account. As such, if the passenger wishes to travel in the unreserved/ general coach, the passenger has to purchase a separate unreserved ticket. Holding a cancelled waiting ticket does not grant the right to travel in any coach; a valid unreserved ticket is required to board unreserved/ general coaches."
From May 1, 2025, if you face such a situation (partially confirmed and partially waitlisted ticket) only people with confirmed ticket will be allowed to travel. The remaining people with a waitlisted ticket won’t be allowed to travel even in sleeper class or any of the AC coaches (3E, 3AC, 2AC, etc). If you don’t follow this new rule, then the TTE is empowered to impose a heavy fine on you in violation of Section 155 of the Railways Act, 1989.
Read below to know what you can do in such a situation where half of your group got confirmed tickets, but the other half is still on the waiting list.
What are your options?
To reiterate the situation, you booked four Railway travel tickets, but only two tickets were confirmed, the other two were put in the waiting list category.
Sonal Alagh, Partner, Alagh & Kapoor Law Offices, shares the solution to this problem where you are on a waitlist ticket and neither got confirmation nor RAC even after the preparation of the chart.
Alagh says: “If an online ticket remains fully waitlisted even after final chart preparation, the IRCTC system automatically cancels it and refunds the fare, as per Rule 213-A of the Indian Railways Refund Rules, 2015, read with the IRCTC policy update. No physical cancellation is needed by the passengers. However, if a waitlisted passenger still wishes to travel, they must purchase a fresh Unreserved (General) class ticket, which is available either at station counters or through the UTS mobile app. Entry into general compartments without a valid general ticket constitutes unauthorised travel and is punishable under Section 137 of the Railways Act, 1989, which may include fine or imprisonment.”
This means the persons who are on the waitlist ticket even after preparation of the chart need to separately purchase (online through UTS App or offline) a general compartment ticket.
The above shared solution is not required in cases where the waitlist ticket is converted into an RAC ticket by the Indian Railways. To give you a brief background on waitlist tickets, usually they are confirmed at the time of chart preparation or put into RAC (reservation against cancellation). However, if there is a heavy demand for the train tickets, waitlist tickets do not get confirmed or get RAC, instead they are cancelled. In RAC, you pay the full price of the ticket, but you need to share your berth with another passenger.
Also read: IRCTC bans waiting list passengers from Sleeper and AC travel starting May 1, 2025
IRCTC Waitlist ticket refund rules for offline and online purchased tickets
Since a railway ticket can be bought from the station reservation counter (offline) and also from the IRCTC website/app (online) the process for getting refund for waiting list tickets which are not confirmed till the time of preparation of the chart differs. Here’s the process:
For online tickets: According to IRCTC website, “In case of wait-listed e-tickets on which all the passengers are on waiting list even after preparation of reservation chart, names of all such passengers booked on that Passenger Name Record (PNR) will be dropped from the reservation chart and refund of full fare will be credited automatically back to the account, from which booking transaction took place, without deducting any cancellation charges.”
For offline tickets: According to a report by the Economic Times which quoted PTI, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on March 25, 2025: "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. 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.”
What is the reason behind this solution?
This is not the best solution since the general compartment in a train is not as luxurious as AC compartments, but given the bad situation (4 tickets booked but only2confirmed) it is a better alternative. The other alternative is to cancel the entire train trip.
Ashish Yadav, Senior Associate, TAS LAW, says, the Indian Railways took this decision after widespread complaints and instances often seen in viral videos and photos circulated on social media wherein in many instances, passengers with confirmed tickets struggled to claim their seats due to overcrowding and unauthorised occupancy by waiting list passengers. “Hence the reason why effective from May 1, the TTE has provided the power to ask waiting list passengers to deboard at the next station if travelling in reserved AC or Sleeper compartments,” says Yadav.
Yadav from TAS LAW further adds: "The passengers holding waiting list tickets, whether booked online or through the ticket counter will now be treated as travelling without a valid ticket and are not permitted to board reserved AC or Sleeper compartments as per the recently implemented rules. Earlier, passengers having waiting list tickets booked through the physical counters were allowed to travel in AC or Sleeper compartments, but this is no longer allowed after these changes. Under the newly implemented rules, now such passengers will have to face penalties also if they board AC or Sleeper compartments without a confirmed ticket. If they still wish to travel, they must purchase a new ticket, even for travel in General compartments. TTEs have been instructed to strictly enforce these rules to ensure that only passengers with confirmed tickets are allowed in reserved AC or Sleeper compartments."
Alagh says, “Under the revised Indian Railways regulations effective May 1, 2025, waitlisted passengers are strictly prohibited from traveling in reserved compartments such as Sleeper and AC coaches, even if accompanying friends with confirmed tickets. This is in accordance with the Indian Railways Commercial Manual (Vol. I, Para 603) which outlines the requirement of a valid reservation for entry into reserved coaches.”
Punit Bhansali, Associate, MVAC Advocates & Solicitors, says: As per the new regulations, the waiting list passengers cannot travel without a valid ticket in the reserved coaches. Consequently, if any passenger is found travelling without a valid ticket a fine of Rs 250 for Sleeper coach and Rs 440 for AC coach will be charged. Additionally, the passenger will also be charged the fare from the boarding point to the next station and will be disembarked from the coach. If a waiting e-ticket remains unconfirmed after the final chart preparation, it will be automatically cancelled, and a refund will be processed to the passenger's account. As such, if the passenger wishes to travel in the unreserved/ general coach, the passenger has to purchase a separate unreserved ticket. Holding a cancelled waiting ticket does not grant the right to travel in any coach; a valid unreserved ticket is required to board unreserved/ general coaches."
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