Wow! New IRCTC PNR linking to make Indian Railways refund claims easier for connecting journeys – FE exclusive
IRCTC PNR linking and refund rule changes for connecting journeys: In a big passenger-friendly move, Piyush Goyal-led Indian Railways is all set to change introduce the concept of linking PNRs and improving its refund rules for connecting train journeys. According to a new circular issued by the Railway Ministry, Indian Railways will now allow passengers to link two PNRs for connecting journey, both for IRCTC e-tickets as well as PRS counter tickets or a combination of both. The circular, accessed exclusively by Financial Express Online, notes that instances have occurred where owing to non-linkage of two PNRs for a connecting journey, Indian Railways passengers face problems in claiming refund in case the second train is missed.
The new Indian Railways and IRCTC rules, which will be effective from April 1, 2019, state that when a passenger with a ticket (with or without reservation) misses the connecting train due to the late running of the first train, then the fare for the travelled portion will be retained and the balance amount will be refunded. This will be the fare of the untravelled portion of the journey. No cancellation or clerkage charges will be levied on passengers if they are able to surrender the ticket for refund within three hours of the actual arrival of the first train. The refund will be granted at the junction station, the circular states. For the new PNR linking facility, CRIS and IRCTC will have to make the necessary changes in their software.
Some of the salient points of the new rules for linking PNRs and refund are:
1. The passenger details including the name should be the same in both the PNRs
2. The new PNR linking and refund rules are applicable to all classes
3. The cancellation will be allowed only from the journey terminating station of the main train and the journey originating station of the second or connecting train.
4. The destination station of the passenger in the main train and the boarding station of the connecting train should be the same.
New Refund rules 2019 for connecting trains:
1. If no current counter is available or in exceptional circumstances the TDR will be issued up to 3 days. The full refund will be granted after examination by the CCM or Refund office.
2. In case of a PRS counter ticket, the cancellation across the counter will be allowed up to 3 hours of the actual arrival of the train at the changeover station. The full refund will be granted across the counter.
3. For IRCTC e-tickets, the TDR can be filed within 3 hours of the actual arrival of the train at the interconnecting station. The full refund will be granted when the TDR is filed with the reason “missing the connecting train due to late running of main train”.