The number of such cancelled tickets increased from 2.53 crore in 2021 to 5.26 crore in 2023, according to a response to an RTI query; a previous official has called for a recalibration of the available waitlisted slots.
In response to a request made under the Right to Information Act, the Indian Railways said that between 2021 and 2024 (up till January), they earned ₹1,229.85 crore from canceled waiting list tickets.
The Railway Ministry’s response to the RTI application that activist Vivek Pandey, located in Madhya Pradesh, filed also indicated that income from this source has been rising year.
For example, in 2021 the Railways collected ₹242.68 crore from the cancellation of 2.53 crore tickets that were on the waiting list. In 2022, this figure increased to 4.6 crore tickets being canceled, resulting in a whopping ₹439.16 crore in revenues. 5.26 million waitlisted tickets were canceled in 2023, earning the Railways ₹505 crore in profit. In 2024, the Railways earned ₹43 crore from the cancellation of 45.86 lakh tickets in just the month of January.
For example, the Railways assigns a 600-seat waiting list for the sleeper compartment of an 18-coach train, which contains 720 seats. They should reevaluate their waiting list thresholds because there won’t be enough room for so many people, and tickets will inevitably be canceled, the former official said.
According to data from the Centre for Railway Information Systems, of these 96.18 lakh cancellations, 47.82 lakh cancellations (up to 49%) were made by passengers on waitlists from all categories.
The Railways recorded “total cancellation earning” of ₹10.37 crore during the week of Deepavali alone, from all tickets with final status as waiting list. Refunds for RAC/waitlisted tickets are subject to a cancellation fee of ₹60 per passenger.
IRCTC charges a service charge for online e-ticket purchases, which is not refundable in the event of a cancellation. For air-conditioned classes, the service price is ₹30 if the ticket is purchased through net banking, debit, or credit cards; if the ticket is purchased through UPI, the fee is ₹20 per ticket. The fee for non-AC classes is ₹15 for tickets purchased using online banking or a card, and ₹10 for tickets purchased through UPI.
IRCTC charges a service charge for online e-ticket purchases, which is not refundable in the event of a cancellation. For air-conditioned classes, the service price is ₹30 if the ticket is purchased through net banking, debit, or credit cards; if the ticket is purchased through UPI, the fee is ₹20 per ticket. The cost per ticket for non-AC classes is ₹15 (net banking).
