IRCTC: How to cancel train tickets bought at counters online

IRCTC has come up with many features and improvements to make it easier for people to book their train tickets and manage their travels online. Now, the service has been improved further by letting users cancel tickets that were booked at a counter at the railway station.

This move saves time as users need not stand in a line to get their booked tickets canceled. However, it will involve some charges based on the time of cancellation. IRCTC notes that users can cancel the confirmed tickets up to 4 hours before the journey. If it is the RAC/Waitlist ticket, then the cancellation can be made up to 30 minutes prior to the train's departure. And, it is applicable only if the users provide a valid mobile number at the time of booking.

How to cancel a booked train ticket on IRCTC website

In order to cancel a ticket that was booked at a counter, you need to visit the IRCTC website and look for the Cancel Ticket menu. This option will be available under the Trains menu. Here, you will have to click on the option reading Counter Ticket. Now, you will be redirected to a page where you will have to type the PNR number of the booked ticket and the corresponding train number. And, hit on the submit button. Note that you will have to check the box asking if you have read the cancellation procedure.

Doing so, you will receive an OTP to the mobile number that was given at the time of booking the train ticket. You need to verify the OTP to validate the PNR details and hit the option 'Cancel Ticket'.

You will be notified about the cancellation of the ticket on the same mobile number along with the PNR number and the refund amount. The refund can be collected at the same railway station or nearby satellite PRS location where the ticket was booked.

This new capability that lets you cancel the counter booked tickets via the IRCTC website is definitely a useful one. We can expect more useful features to be added in the future.