The Indian Railways has announced a trial scheme called "Round Trip Package for Festival Rush" to help reduce passenger crowding and improve travel during the coming festive season.
A circular from the Railway Board, issued on August 8, states that the scheme gives a 20 per cent discount on the base fare of the return journey. This applies only if passengers book confirmed tickets for both onward and return trips, for the same passengers, class, and origin-destination route.
The goal is to manage crowding better, make bookings easier, and improve use of train services, including special trains, in both directions.
Bookings under this scheme will start on August 14, 2025. The onward journey must take place between October 13 and October 26, 2025. The return journey must be booked using the connecting journey option for travel between November 17 and December 1, 2025. Advance reservation rules will not apply to the return trip booking.
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The scheme is open to all classes and trains, except those with flexi-fare pricing, and only applies to confirmed tickets. Both onward and return tickets must be booked in the same way, either online or at the counter. If there is any extra fare at the time of charting, it will not be charged.
No refunds or concessions under this scheme
In a statement, the railays said tickets booked under the Round Trip Package scheme will not be eligible for any fare refund. “No discount, Rail travel coupons, Voucher based booking, Passes or PTOs etc, shall be admissible during return journey booking on concessional fare,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}In a statement, the railays said tickets booked under the Round Trip Package scheme will not be eligible for any fare refund. “No discount, Rail travel coupons, Voucher based booking, Passes or PTOs etc, shall be admissible during return journey booking on concessional fare,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}Changes, extra concessions, and the use of travel coupons, vouchers, passes, or PTOs are not allowed under this offer. The Railway Board has asked all zonal railways to widely inform passengers about this scheme through press, media, and announcements at stations, according to ANI.