5 days ago
Ticket cancellations leave Secunderabad richer by Rs 700 crore from 2021 to 2025
HYDERABAD: Ticket cancellations are raking in mega bucks for South Central Railway (SCR). Between 2021 and 2025, the zone earned a staggering Rs 698 crore through cancellation charges - Rs 198 crore of this being added to its coffers in 2024 alone, reveals a recent RTI application filed by TOI.
The numbers suggest cancelled tickets contribute close to 3.5% of SCR's annual passenger revenue.
And this is only expected to rise further now, say sources, with an upward revision in rail ticket charges beginning July 1.
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As per rules, railways deducts 25% of the ticket fare if a confirmed ticket is cancelled 12 to 48 hours before scheduled departure of the train. This increases to 50% if the ticket is cancelled anytime between 4 to 12 hours.
In case of wait-listed tickets, Rs 60 is deducted towards clerical charges.
The RTI reply shows that in 2024, SCR had 1.4 crore passengers cancel their tickets of which 65 lakh belonged to wait-listed travellers. The Secunderabad division accounted for the highest load of these cancellations. In fact, the count of wait-listed passengers cancelling tickets has gone up by four times in the last four years.
Deductions leave rail users fuming
If 15.96 lakh of them were cancelled in 2021, the count climbed to 65.62 lakh in 2024.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Between January and May 2025 alone, 31.52 lakh wait-listed passengers cancelled their railway bookings.
"In comparison, passengers received refunds of more than Rs 2,900 crore between 2021 and May 2025. In 2024, SCR processed refunds amounting to Rs 871.37 crore," the RTI revealed. During 2024-25, the zone recorded a passenger revenue of Rs 5,710 crore.
Passengers rue the hefty penalty. "I was surprised to see 30% being deducted towards cancellation charges," said Narayan Rao from Himayathnagar who recently travelled from Rajahmundry to Secunderabad.
"I had bought a sleeper class ticket but had to cancel it at the last minute due to some unforeseen reason. I got only Rs 210 of the total Rs 330 in refund. Such high cancellation charges are disappointing. The railways should consider revising it," he said.
Another rail user from Tolichowki, Yakub Ali, complained about the railway's policy of charging a fee even on wait-listed tickets. "I can still understand if they are charging a nominal fee for confirmed bookings. But why do they need to impose clerical charges when a ticket is not even confirmed?" asked Ali who regularly travels on the Kacheguda-Kadapa and Secunderabad- Vijayawada routes.
