Citizens’ Voice Coimbatore (CVC) has submitted a representation to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking a review of the revised railway ticket cancellation charges, stating that the changes have affected passengers, particularly those travelling in Sleeper Class and AC 3-Tier.
The organisation said the present cancellation structure places a financial burden on middle-income passengers, including senior citizens, students and patients. It urged the Railways to restore the pre-COVID slab-based system, which it described as balanced. It also recommended that first-time cancellations made up to four hours before departure should not attract charges.
CVC flagged misuse of the booking system by passengers who frequently book and cancel tickets, blocking seats and affecting availability. To address this, it proposed a progressive cancellation charge mechanism, with monitoring through Aadhaar and mobile number linkage to track repeated cancellations within a specified period.
The representation also called for fixing luggage limits based on class of travel to reduce congestion and improve safety inside coaches. It suggested introducing a ceiling on senior citizen concessions based on distance travelled, proposing 15,000 km for second class and 10,000 km for AC First Class annually, with exemptions for medical and emergency travel.
