Commercial Rules, Tariff and Claims
Scope
Passenger and goods commercial working: ticket validity, refunds and cancellation, luggage and parcel booking, freight computation, demurrage and wharfage, and claims against the railway. Governing sources are the Railways Act, 1989, the Refund Rules, 2015 and the coaching and goods tariff rules.
Core rules
- Refund (Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015): a confirmed ticket cancelled more than 48 hours before scheduled departure attracts a flat deduction per passenger, roughly Rs 240 (AC First/Executive), Rs 200 (AC 2 Tier), Rs 180 (AC 3 Tier/AC Chair Car/3E), Rs 120 (Sleeper) and Rs 60 (Second Class).
- Between 48 and 4 hours before departure the deduction is 25% of the fare, subject to a minimum of that flat charge; within 4 hours refund is generally not admissible.
- Claims: Section 106 of the Railways Act, 1989 requires written notice of claim within six months of loss, destruction, damage or deterioration of goods; Section 103 fixes the railway's liability as carrier.
- Freight is charged on chargeable weight at the station-to-station rate. Demurrage is charged for detaining wagons; wharfage for goods occupying the goods shed beyond free time.
Worked example
An AC 3 Tier ticket is cancelled 60 hours before departure. Because 60 hours is beyond 48 hours, the flat deduction of Rs 180 per passenger applies, so refund = fare minus Rs 180. If the same ticket were cancelled 30 hours before departure, the deduction would become 25% of the fare, but never less than Rs 180.
Traps that cost marks
- Slipping across the 48-hour and 4-hour boundaries.
- Forgetting the six-month notice requirement for goods claims.
- Swapping demurrage (wagon detention) with wharfage (goods detention).
- Assuming every cancellation qualifies for a full refund.