Indian Railways will soon let passengers change travel dates online. This new feature will apply to confirmed tickets only, with no extra charge to passengers. The feature is likely to be launched in January 2026 and will be available on the IRCTC website and app, Hindustan Times reported.
The upcoming feature will allow travellers to directly reschedule their confirmed tickets instead of cancelling and rebooking them. With the addition of this new feature, Indian Railways is hoping to enhance the ticket booking and travel experience for passengers.
Currently, missing a train means cancelling the ticket and paying a fee, depending on how early the ticket was cancelled compared to the journey date. The new feature will enable passengers to rebook another train at no extra cost.
Under the existing rules, in case of sudden changes in travel plans or emergencies, passengers end up paying up to 25% of the fare as cancellation fee, even if the ticket is cancelled between 48 hours and up to 12 hours before the scheduled departure of the train.
Once the new rules kick in, passengers will only need to pay the fare difference for booking a new train, according to a report by Times Now.
If a delayed flight causes passengers to miss their train, they will be shifted to the next available train. This marks a shift from the existing norm, where passengers lose their journey ticket and cannot claim any compensation from the Railways.
