Cancellation & refund policy

1. How refunds work, in short

• Anything we can't confirm, you get back in full. If nothing at all could be booked, that includes our fee.
• If you cancel before we have booked anything, you get everything back, fee included.
• If you cancel after bookings are made, you get back everything the suppliers refund (after their own cancellation charges), plus the full value of anything not yet booked. Our planning fee, and the booking service charge on tickets already issued, are kept for the work already done.
• If a supplier or we cancel, you get back in full what you paid for that part, or we move you to the backup plan at no extra cost.
• We never add a charge of our own for cancelling, and we always show you the exact amount before you confirm a cancellation.
• Refunds go to the organiser's original payment method. The GST on any refunded amount is refunded too.

2. When we can't confirm part of your trip

You pay for the whole trip upfront and we book each part straight away (or as soon as booking opens). If a part can't be confirmed at the agreed standard, for example a train has no confirmed seats left by the time we book (we don't sell waitlisted tickets), a bus is full, a flight fare has risen or a hotel has no rooms left:

• we offer the backup plan we keep for every trip. If it is the same or better standard with similar timing, we may switch you without asking; if it differs in a way that matters (another way of travelling, a noticeably different time, or a lower hotel category) we ask first;
• if you say no, or there is no backup, we refund that part in full, with its booking service charge and the share of our fee charged on it;
• if the backup costs less, we refund the difference; if it costs more, we pay the difference;
• if nothing at all could be booked, we refund everything, including our fee.

A train ticket counts as confirmed only when the seat or berth is confirmed. We check seats again just before you pay and book only confirmed availability; if a ticket still comes out waitlisted and is still waitlisted when the chart is prepared, the railways cancel it and refund it automatically, less a small clerkage charge. We absorb that charge, so you never pay for a ticket that didn't come through.

3. If you cancel

You can cancel the whole trip, or one traveller, at any time by WhatsApp (+91 83699 27133) or email (info@railroute.in). Here is what you get back:

Our planning fee (its own line on your bill, ₹350–₹2,500 per person depending on the trip) is kept only for travellers whose bookings had already been made. Before you confirm a cancellation, we tell you the exact refund for each part.

How quickly we act. Railway and hotel charges rise as departure gets closer, so we cancel within an hour of your message between 8 am and 10 pm, and first thing in the morning for messages sent overnight. If a delay on our side makes the charges higher, we pay the difference.

4. Indian Railways: cancellation charges

Train tickets are refunded under the Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015, as amended. These are the charges per passenger under Indian Railways’ refund rules, as published on 9 October 2026. If the railways change their rules, the rules in force when the ticket is cancelled apply, and we show you the actual amount first.

• Less than 4 hours before departure (or once the chart is prepared and no TDR is filed in time): no refund on a confirmed ticket.
• Vande Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat II trains have stricter rules: 25% of the fare is deducted more than 72 hours before departure, 50% between 72 and 8 hours, and nothing is refunded within 8 hours.
• RAC and waitlisted tickets: a clerkage charge of ₹60 per passenger (plus GST in AC classes) if cancelled up to 30 minutes before departure; no refund after that. If such a ticket becomes confirmed before the final chart, the confirmed-ticket charges above apply.
• Tatkal tickets: no refund on a confirmed Tatkal ticket. RAC or waitlisted Tatkal tickets are refunded less clerkage.
• If the railways cancel the train, the fare is refunded in full automatically. If it runs more than 3 hours late and you choose not to travel, the full fare is refunded as long as we file the refund request (TDR) before the train actually leaves, so tell us straight away.
• Booking and payment charges added by the railway ticketing system are generally not refunded by the railways.

5. Hotels, buses, flights and cabs

Each supplier's own cancellation policy applies to its part. We show you each policy before you pay and again on your trip page.

• Hotels and homestays: under the hotel's policy for your booking. Many give a full refund until a set number of days before arrival, then charge one night or more. Where a hotel has given us no written policy, our partners agree to a free cancellation more than 7 days before arrival.
• Buses: under the operator's policy printed on the ticket. Charges usually rise closer to departure, and many operators refund nothing in the last few hours.
• Flights: under the airline's fare rules. Even when a fare is non-refundable, the government taxes and airport charges in it are refunded.
• Cabs, rentals, guides and experiences: under the partner's policy, which we show you before you pay.

6. If a supplier, or we, cancel

• A train, bus or flight is cancelled, or a hotel can't honour your booking: we move you to the backup plan at no extra cost, or refund that part in full, whichever you prefer. Supplier cancellations cost you nothing.
• If we cancel your trip for any reason other than events outside anyone's control, we refund everything you paid, including our fee.
• Events outside anyone's control (landslides, floods, severe weather, strikes, government orders): we pass on in full every refund the suppliers give, and refund any part we haven't paid for yet. We can't refund amounts a supplier keeps after we've paid it on your behalf, but we will always show you what each supplier returned and press them for the most you are entitled to.

7. When the money reaches you

• Refunds go back to the organiser's original payment method (card, UPI or bank account). We can't send them to someone else.
• Parts we hadn't paid for yet, and full refunds when nothing could be booked: we start the refund within 2 working days.
• Parts a supplier must refund to us first: we start your refund within 2 working days of receiving the supplier's refund. Railways usually refund within a few days; a TDR can take longer.
• Once we start a refund, it normally reaches your account within 5–7 working days, depending on your bank.

We send you a breakdown by email for every refund, including any GST credit note.

8. Questions and complaints

Write to info@railroute.in or WhatsApp +91 83699 27133. We acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and resolve them within one month. See complaints and grievance redressal for how to escalate.