New Delhi: In a major relief for passengers, the Indian Railways is set to allow travellers to change the travel dates of confirmed online tickets without incurring additional fees. However, the facility will not be available during the current festive season and is expected to roll out from January 2026, officials confirmed.
Speaking to News18, a senior railway ministry official said that the directive has been issued from the minister’s office, and final modalities are being worked out. “The new system is likely to be implemented from January 2026 and will apply exclusively to tickets booked online,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Under the upcoming feature, passengers will be able to modify their travel date for the same origin and destination, though seat confirmation will depend on availability. “If you modify a confirmed ticket, there will be no assurance of another confirmed seat for the new date—it will depend on the booking status,” the official added.
If there is any variation in fare between the original and modified booking, the difference in cost will be charged to the passenger.
When asked whether the facility would also cover changes in travel class, the official noted that detailed guidelines will be released in the coming weeks.
Currently, offline tickets can be modified under specific conditions, but there is no provision for date change in online bookings. Passengers wishing to change their travel plans must cancel their existing ticket—often losing up to 50% of the fare as cancellation charges—and then rebook manually by re-entering all travel details.
Once implemented, the date-change feature will make this process far simpler, allowing passengers to request a new travel date without cancellation or re-entry of details. Officials say the move is part of Indian Railways’ broader strategy to make IRCTC’s digital ticketing platform more flexible and passenger-friendly.
With over 80% of all railway tickets now booked online, authorities believe the feature could significantly reduce cancellations and refund requests, while improving customer convenience.
This reform aligns with the ministry’s recent efforts to modernize and secure the ticketing ecosystem. From October 1, Indian Railways mandated that during the first 15 minutes of the general reservation window, tickets can be booked only by Aadhaar-authenticated users on the IRCTC website or mobile app—a move aimed at curbing misuse and ensuring fairness in ticket allocation.
In another passenger-centric decision last year, the ministry reduced the advance reservation period for Indian travellers from 120 days to 60 days (effective November 2024), helping the Railway Board to better assess genuine travel demand and streamline the booking process.
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