Railways earned ₹600 crore from cancellation fees in 2022-23: Rail Minister

Parliament was informed on Wednesday that the Railways has generated over ₹600 crore through convenience fee, a charge kept from passengers for ticket cancellations, in 2022-23 so far.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the cancellation or clerkage charge is levied on cancellation of tickets as per the Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Tickets and Refund of Fare) Rules 2015.

Also Watch: Navratri 2022: Indian Railways comes up with special ‘Vrat menu’

In addition to the normal fare indicated on the reserved tickets issued through computerised passenger reservation system counters, the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) also charges convenience fee from passengers who book tickets online.

The minister said the convenience fee amount charged is ₹30 for air-conditioned classes and ₹15 for non-AC classes.

Also Read: Why ‘locals’ are upset over Indian Railways’ recruitment drive

On cancellation of ticket, this convenience fee is not refunded.

He said that convenience fee collected by the IRCTC during 2019-20 was ₹352.33 crore, during 2020-21 it was ₹299.17 crore, in 2021-22 it was ₹694.08 crore and ₹604.40 crore in 2022-23 till December.