IRCTC stops compensation for delays in private trains, reveals RTI

The Corporation stated in the RTI reply that compensation amounted to Rs 1.78 lakh in 2019-20, Rs 96,000 in 2021-22, Rs 7.74 lakh in 2022-23, and Rs 15.65 lakh in 2023-24, with no compensation in 2020-21.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has announced that it discontinued its compensation scheme for delays in private trains five years ago.

This information came in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by news agency PTI.

IRCTC, which was set up by the Ministry of Railways to manage catering, tourism, and ticketing services for the Railways, also oversees the operation of private trains.

The corporation shared that under the now-discontinued scheme, Rs 26 lakh in compensation was given to passengers from October 4, 2019, to February 16, 2024.

Of this amount, Rs 15.65 lakh was distributed in the 2023-24 period alone.

The scheme, which provided compensation for delays or cancellations of private trains, officially ended on February 15, 2024.

However, IRCTC did not disclose the reasons behind this decision, citing confidentiality.

IRCTC operates two Tejas trains — one between New Delhi and Lucknow (since October 4, 2019), and the other between Ahmedabad and Mumbai (since January 17, 2020).

The compensation initiative was originally introduced as a marketing strategy to attract passengers to these private trains.

Over the years, compensation payouts varied: Rs 1.78 lakh in 2019-20, zero in 2020-21, Rs 96,000 in 2021-22, Rs 7.74 lakh in 2022-23, and Rs 15.65 lakh in 2023-24.

The amount given to passengers depended on the length of the delay.

Passengers faced with delays of 60 to 120 minutes received Rs 100, while those experiencing delays of 120 to 240 minutes were compensated Rs 250.

In the event of a train cancellation, a full fare refund was issued, along with food and water provisions for delayed passengers.