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With its vast network, Indian Railway is the most preferred means of transportation among Indians. With the introduction of online booking portal (IRCTC), getting a reservation is just a click away. And for that matter, cancelling a reservation too. But what if there are some last minute changes in your plans and you do not have internet facility to cancel the reservation? Does that mean you’ll lose your money for a journey you didn’t undertake?

Well the answer is No. There is a process of getting a partial refund from the railways if you did not travel despite of having a reservation. But many people are not aware of this. It is known as TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) and can be filed online very easily.

When Can You File TDR?

In addition to the above mentioned scenario, TDR can be filed by a passenger in any of the following cases:

• Passenger could not travel due to train cancelled by railways.
• Passenger did not travel due to train running late by more than three hours.
• Passenger travelled in a lower class than what was reserved because of non-availability of proper coach.
• AC Failure
• Travelled without proper ID proof
• Wrongly charged by TTE
• Party partially travelled
• Passenger did not travel

To know the amount of refund in each case and documents required to file TDR, check this official link from IRCTC website.

How To File TDR Online?

Filing TDR online is a very simple process. Just follow the steps given below:

1) Log in to your IRCTC account. On the homepage, click on the File TDR icon.

2) You’ll now see a list of tickets booked so far. Select the one for which you want to file TDR.

3) In the next step select the reason for filing TDR from the dropdown, as shown below and submit.

That’s it. You have successfully filed TDR.

To check status of your TDR, click on TDR History under My Transactions.

Clicking on ‘Check Status’ will show the current status of your application. It takes around 60 days to get the refund processed, as discussed further in this article.

How Will Railway Find Whether I Travelled Or Not?

Or in other words, can someone not file a false claim even after undertaking the journey?

Well it is not that simple. When you file TDR, your claim will be checked against the reservation list present with the TTE. This is why TTE puts a tick against your name in his reservation list while checking your ticket.

Important Points Regarding Online TDR

Before filing TDR you should keep these points in mind:

• TDR should be filed within 30 days of the departure of train.
• It takes 60 days or more for the claim to be processed.
• If you are trying to file TDR for a ticket of the same date, you might not be able to see the ticket in the list. Try again the next day.
• Online TDR can be filed only for e-tickets. For i-ticket or ticket obtained from reservation counter, you’ll have to file TDR request with the station master.

So the next time if you are not able to travel due to last minute changes in plan, do not forget to file TDR to obtain a refund.

And for those wondering who the friendly elephant in the image is, it is Bholu, the Guard- Indian Railway’s mascot !!

Were you aware of this facility? Have you ever tried using it? We at Knowledge Hub will love to know your experience.

In the meantime do check out the details of Mobile Number Portability.

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