Stricter cancellation rules for Vande Bharat sleeper trains; no refund within 8 hours

NEW DELHI: Just ahead of the commencement of commercial operations of the Vande Bharat sleeper trains, the railways has modified the cancellation charges norm for this premium service.According to a notification, there will be a 25% deduction in the refund if a confirmed ticket is cancelled more than 72 hours before the scheduled departure.The rule, notified on Friday, states that if a confirmed ticket is cancelled between 72 hours and up to eight hours before the scheduled departure, the cancellation charge will be 50% of the fare. Similarly, if the confirmed ticket is cancelled less than eight hours before the scheduled departure, no refund will be provided.It also stated that no refund of fare will be admissible if the ticket is not cancelled or if the Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR) is not filed online up to eight hours before the scheduled departure of the train.Regarding fares in Vande Bharat sleeper trains, the Railway Board said that the minimum chargeable distance will be 400 km, and there will be no provision for RAC.“There shall be only ladies quota, quota for persons with disabilities, senior citizen quota, and duty pass, as per existing instructions issued from time to time. No other reservation shall be applicable in this train,” the Railway Board said.In the case of the Amrit Bharat-II Express, launched this month, the minimum chargeable distance will be 200 km, and there will be no provision for RAC.