New Delhi: The Indian Railways will soon let passengers modify the travel date of confirmed online tickets without paying any additional fee, to make online ticketing more flexible and passenger-friendly.
However, the change will come into effect only from January 2026, not during the current festive season, as per reports.
Here's what the new facility for online bookings will be like:
A senior railway ministry official told News18 that the minister’s office has issued directions to enable free date modification for online tickets, and the final details are being worked out. “The new system is likely to be implemented from January 2026 and will be for tickets booked online,” the official said.
Passengers will be able to modify their travel date for the same origin and destination, but confirmation of seats will depend on availability. “If you modify a confirmed ticket, there will be no guarantee that you will get a confirmed ticket for the new date. A confirmed seat will depend on availability,” the official told the publication.
In cases where the fare for the new date is higher, passengers will have to pay the difference. The ministry will soon clarify whether class changes will also be permitted under the new system.
Move part of wider ticketing reforms
Currently, passengers wishing to change their travel date must cancel their confirmed online ticket and rebook a new one, often incurring cancellation charges of up to 50%. The new feature will simplify this process by allowing direct date changes without re-entering passenger details.
The reform is part of a broader effort by Indian Railways to modernise and simplify digital services. With over 80% of tickets now booked through the IRCTC platform, officials believe the feature will help cut down on cancellations and refund requests.
In recent months, the ministry has also rolled out other measures to improve transparency and accessibility. From October 1, only Aadhaar-authenticated users can book general reservation tickets during the first 15 minutes of the opening window. Last year, the advance reservation period for train bookings was reduced from 120 days to 60 days to ensure better visibility of genuine travel demand.
