Indian Railways announces 20% rebate on confirmed return journey tickets. How to avail

The initiative aims to redistribute crowding, facilitate hassle-free bookings, and enhance the utilisation of train services, including special trains, in both directions.

The Ministry of Railways has announced an experimental "Round Trip Package for Festival Rush" scheme aimed at easing passenger congestion and ensuring smoother travel during the upcoming festive season.

According to a Railway Board circular issued on August 8, 2025, the scheme offers a 20 per cent rebate on the base fare of the return journey for passengers booking confirmed tickets for both onward and return travel for the same set of passengers, class, and origin-destination pair. The initiative aims to redistribute crowding, facilitate hassle-free bookings, and enhance the utilisation of train services, including special trains, in both directions.

Under the scheme, bookings will open on August 14, 2025, for onward journeys scheduled between October 13 and October 26, 2025. The corresponding return journey must be booked using the connecting journey feature for travel between November 17 and December 1, 2025. Advance reservation period norms will not apply to the return journey booking. The scheme will be valid across all classes and trains, except those operating with flexi-fare pricing, and will only apply to confirmed tickets.

To avail the discount, passengers must book the onward ticket first and then the return ticket using the connecting journey feature, for the same origin-destination pair and travel class. The offer is valid for bookings made either online or at reservation counters, but no refunds, modifications, or other concessions will be allowed for tickets under this scheme.
How to avail:

This scheme will be applicable for those passengers who choose their return journey during the prescribed period as detailed below:

• Under this scheme, rebates shall be applicable when booked for both onward and return journey for the same set of passengers. Passenger details of return journey will be same as of onward journey.\

• Booking start date shall be 14.08.2025 for the ARP date 13th October 2025. Onward ticket shall be booked first for the train start date between 13th October 2025 and 26th October 2025 and subsequently return journey ticket shall be booked by using connecting journey feature for the train start date between 17th November and 1st December 2025. Advance reservation period will not be applicable for booking of return journey.

• The above booking shall be permissible only for confirmed tickets in both directions.

• Total rebates of 20% shall be granted on base fare of return journey only.

• Booking under this scheme shall be for the same class and same O-D pair for both onward and return journey.

• No refund of fare shall be permissible for the tickets booked under this scheme.

• The scheme shall be allowed for all classes and in all trains including special trains (Trains on demand) except trains having Flexi fare.

• No modification will be allowed on these ticket in either of the journey.

• No discounts, Rail travel coupons, Voucher based bookings, Passes or PTOs etc. shall be admissible during return journey booking on concessional fare.

• Both onward and return journey tickets must be booked using the same mode either:

Counter booking at reservation offices

No additional fare collection will be performed if any arises during charting for these PNRs.

*With Agency Inputs