Planning to book a Vande Bharat sleeper train ticket? Passengers now need to be extra cautious while cancelling. Indian Railways has revised its cancellation policy, stating that no refund will be granted if a Vande Bharat sleeper train ticket is cancelled within eight hours of the scheduled departure.
Under the new rules, tickets cancelled between 72 hours and eight hours before departure will attract a hefty 50 per cent cancellation charge. Earlier, confirmed tickets cancelled within 72 hours were eligible for a refund after a 25 per cent deduction.
The Railways has also clarified that Vande Bharat sleeper trains will not offer a Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) facility, and the minimum chargeable distance for these trains will be 400 kilometres.
The country’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. The service will run on the Guwahati–Kolkata route and features 16 modern coaches — 11 three-tier AC, four two-tier AC, and one first AC coach — with a total passenger capacity of 823.
The new policy aims to streamline bookings and reduce last-minute cancellations as Indian Railways expands its premium Vande Bharat sleeper services across the country.
