Affordable Train Travel during the Festive Season! Indian Railways introduces a 20% discount on ticket reservations; learn the conditions here.
The Indian Railways has announced a special Round Trip Package for the festive season travel around Diwali and Chhath 2025, offering a 20% discount on the base fare of return tickets. Here are the key details and terms of this scheme:
Travel Dates: - Onward journey travel: Between October 13 and October 26, 2025. - Return journey travel: Between November 17 and December 1, 2025.
Booking Details: - Booking opened on August 14, 2025. - The onward ticket must be booked first, followed by the return ticket via the "connecting journey" feature. - The usual 60-day advance reservation rule is waived for the return ticket booking. - Tickets must be booked for the same set of passengers, same class, and the same origin-destination route for both onward and return journeys. - Tickets must be confirmed in both directions. - No change in passengers' names or travel plans is allowed once booked (no modifications permitted). - Tickets booked under this scheme are non-refundable.
Discount Coverage: - The 20% discount applies only to the base fare of the return ticket. - All classes and trains are eligible except trains with flexi fares (such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Tejas, and Vande Bharat trains). - No other discounts, passes, or concessions can be combined with this offer.
Purpose: - This scheme aims to ease festival travel rush, redistribute peak traffic, and ensure both-way utilization of trains, including special trains.
Example: - For a family of four traveling AC 3-tier between Delhi and Patna, the base fare of a return journey might be around ₹12,000, so the 20% discount could save about ₹2,400. However, caution is advised due to the non-refundable nature of tickets.
Travelers whose schedules are fixed are encouraged to book return tickets early to benefit from savings during the high-demand festival period. The booking for this scheme shall be for the same class and same origin-destination pair for both the onward and return journey. The ARP (Advance Reservation Period) for booking the return journey is October 13 to October 26, but it will not be applicable for the return journey. The scheme is intended for the festive season and aims to manage the surge in passengers during festivals in the later part of the year.
- Amidst the bustling festive season of Diwali and Chhath 2025, avid fans of Bollywood might consider their travel plans to India, as the rail discount on return tickets could save them a significant amount on their lifestyle expenses, like possibly the costs of watching a blockbuster movie or two in a multiplex.
- Upon arriving in India, to soak up the Indian culture, one might also think about exploring tourist attractions such as iconic cricket stadiums or picturesque landscapes, blending their travel plans seamlessly with their lifestyle interests.
