Vande Bharat Sleeper: Following the tremendous success of the Vande Bharat Express, Indian Railways has given passengers another major gift. The country’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train has now been launched. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently flagged off this state-of-the-art sleeper train running between Howrah and Kamakhya (Guwahati). This train claims to offer an experience similar to air travel in terms of speed and modern amenities. However, before traveling on it, passengers will need to be more careful about their tickets and travel plans, as the Railways has implemented very strict rules for refunds and ticket cancellations.
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Cancellation of Tickets Will Be Costly
According to the new rules issued by the Railway Board, if a passenger does not cancel their ticket at least eight hours before the scheduled departure time of the train, they will not receive any refund. This means that even a slight delay in canceling the ticket can result in the loss of the entire fare. This rule is considered a major blow for passengers.
The refund conditions are also quite strict for confirmed tickets. If a passenger cancels the ticket more than 72 hours before the train’s departure, 25 percent of the fare will be deducted, and the remaining amount will be refunded. However, if the ticket is canceled between 72 hours and 8 hours before departure, the Railways will deduct 50 percent of the fare. In this situation, the passenger will receive only half the amount as a refund.
RAC Facility Completely Removed
The Railways has also completely removed the RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) facility in this premium sleeper train. In regular trains, an RAC ticket at least allowed travel, but this option will not be available in the Vande Bharat sleeper. The Railways has also clarified that all types of quotas will not be applicable on this train. Only quotas for women, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and duty passes will be valid. No other type of VIP or special quota will be provided on this train. In addition, the minimum fare distance for this train has been set at 400 kilometers. This means that even if a passenger travels a shorter distance, they will still have to pay the fare for 400 kilometers. Passengers should be aware of this rule beforehand.
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Amenities like those on an airplane
The Vande Bharat sleeper train running between Howrah and Guwahati is fully air-conditioned and has been specially designed to make overnight journeys comfortable. The introduction of this train will reduce travel time on this route by approximately two and a half hours. The railway’s objective is to provide passengers with airline-like amenities at reasonable fares. This is why the ticket cancellation and refund rules are also quite strict, similar to those for air travel. Therefore, it would be wise for passengers to gather complete information before booking tickets for this train.
