NEW DELHI: In a bid to manage the heavy rush during the Diwali and Chhath festival season, railways has introduced a new experimental scheme “Round Trip Package”, offering a 20% rebate on the fare of the return journey for passengers booking both onward and return tickets together. The initiative aims to spread out passenger traffic over a longer period, improve train utilization, and offer convenience to those planning extended vacations with their families.Under the scheme, bookings will open on August 14 2025 for onward journeys scheduled between October 13 and October 26 2025. The return journey must be booked for travel between November 17 and December 1 using the connecting journey feature. The usual 60-day advance reservation period (ARP) does not apply to return journeys booked under this package.
To avail the rebate, passengers must meet the following conditions:
- The same set of passengers must travel in both directions, with identical details used for both tickets.
- Tickets must be confirmed for both legs of the journey. No waitlisted bookings will be entertained.
- The same class and origin-destination (O-D) pair must be selected for both journeys.
- The return ticket will receive a 20% rebate on the base fare only, not on total fare or other charges.
- Tickets must be booked using the same mode—either online through the IRCTC portal or at reservation counters.
- The scheme applies to all train classes, including special trains (Trains on Demand), but excludes Flexi Fare trains.
- No refunds or modifications are allowed once the tickets are booked.
- Concessions such as rail travel coupons, passes, vouchers, PTOs, etc., are not permitted on return journeys under this scheme.
- Any additional fare differences during charting will not be levied on these PNRs.
About the Author
