New Delhi: Indian Railways is a behemoth in public transportation. The Railways carry a total of 2 crore+ passengers in a single day. To provide a service to that many passengers is a herculean task, but the public transporter manages to pull it off.
Any train journey comes with multiple challenges; for example, the train changing its route, the non-working of air conditioning, and weather- changes making trains run late. In any of the above-mentioned cases, Indian Railways, through its corporation, viz., IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), is giving passengers the option of getting a refund in such cases, making the journey less gruesome for passengers and providing them a complete reimbursement in that case.
The tool for getting a refund in that case is filing a TDR, a ticket deposit receipt. The purpose of filing a TDR is to ensure that if you have booked a ticket but the train journey is not completed fully or partially, or there is a deficiency in service on the part of the railways, then you can get your money back.
Steps to file TDR
- Log in to IRCTC website, www.irctc.co.in.
- Go to the MY ACCOUNT section and click on My Transactions >> File TDR.
- Select the PNR number for which TDR is to be filed.
- Select the correct reason from the drop-down menu.
- Select from the list of passengers who could not travel and then click on the ‘File TDR’ button.
- Read the instructions on the screen carefully and click on ‘Yes.’
- If the process is successful, then the message “TDR Successfully Filed” will appear on the screen.
When and for what reason can a TDR be filed?
As per IRCTC rules, you can file a TDR for various reasons, but there is a certain time limit for each reason, within which it is mandatory to file a TDR.
| Serial Number | Reason for filing TDR | Time limit for filing TDR |
| 1 | The train was delayed by more than three hours, and the passenger did not travel | From the boarding station to the actual departure time of the train |
| 2 | Due to non-availability of coach, the passenger had to travel in lower class | Within 2 days, excluding the date of issue of certificate |
| 3 | AC failure | Within 20 hours of the actual arrival time of the train at the passenger’s destination station |
| 4 | All confirmed passengers could not travel | Up to 4 hours before scheduled departure time from boarding station |
| 5 | The train was diverted, and the passenger did not travel | Within 72 hours from the scheduled departure time from the boarding station |
| 6 | The train was diverted and did not pass through the boarding station | Within 72 hours from scheduled departure time |
| 7 | The train was diverted and did not pass through the destination station | Within 72 hours from scheduled departure time |
| 8 | Partially confirmed/waiting passengers could not travel | Within 72 hours from the actual arrival time of the train at the destination station |
| 9 | All passengers were waitlisted or partially confirmed, and none traveled. | Up to 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of the train from the boarding station |
| 10 | The passenger had to travel in lower class and wants refund of fare difference | Within 2 days, excluding the date of issue of certificate |
| 11 | Partial journey completed (partial use of ticket) | Within 72 hours from the scheduled departure time from the boarding station |
| 12 | The passenger did not travel despite having reservation in lower class | Within 3 hours from the actual departure time of the train from the boarding station |
| 13 | The passenger did not travel because the coach was damaged | Within 3 hours from the actual departure time of the train from the boarding station |
| 14 | The train did not reach the destination and was stopped midway | Within 72 hours from the scheduled arrival time at destination station |
Exemption
There is no facility for booking tickets for two connecting trains through IRCTC. In such a situation, if you had planned a connected journey and there is some problem in it, then you will not get a refund on it.
