Diverted Train Refund: Full refund with zero fees if a diverted train skips your station (TDR within 72 hours).

Under Indian Railways and IRCTC regulations, if your train is officially diverted and consequently skips your boarding station (or destination station), you are entitled to a full refund with zero clerkage or cancellation fees deducted.

Key Rules & Conditions for Diverted Train Refunds

1. The Core Trigger:

• Train Diverted and Train Not Touching Boarding Station: If the route changes and the train bypasses your scheduled boarding point entirely. 

• Train Diverted and Passenger Not Travelled: If the train is diverted via an alternate route and you choose not to travel because of this change.

 

2. The 72-Hour Window:

• Unlike a 3-hour late train (where the TDR must be filed before departure), a diverted train allows you a much wider post-departure window. 

• You can file the online TDR up to 72 hours from the scheduled departure of the train at your passenger boarding station.

 

3. Zero Deductions: Because the diversion is initiated by the railways, you receive a 100% full refund of your fare with no cancellation charges.

 

4. No Travel Undertaken: Similar to other TDR categories, none of the passengers listed under that PNR should have undertaken any portion of the journey.

 

Step-by-Step Process to File the TDR Online (IRCTC)

1. Log in to your account on the IRCTC website or the Rail Connect app. 

2. Navigate to "My Account"  "My Transactions"  "Booked Ticket History". 

3. Select the PNR for the diverted train. 

4. Click on "File TDR". 

5. Choose the appropriate reason from the dropdown, such as:

• "Train Diverted and Train Not Touching Boarding Station" OR 

• "Train Diverted and Passenger Not Travelled"

 

6. Select the applicable passengers and submit the request within 72 hours of the scheduled departure.

 

Important Administrative Details

• Zonal Railway Approval: The TDR is routed to the concerned Zonal Railway authorities. They verify the train's revised chart, control orders, and diversion logs to confirm that the train indeed bypassed your station or that a major diversion took place. 

• Processing Timeline: Once approved by the railways, the 100% refund is credited back to your original source account (UPI, net banking, or card). Like most TDRs, this verification and credit cycle typically takes 60 to 90 days.

 

 There are a few additional edge cases and specific regulations regarding diverted trains that are helpful to know to ensure your claim isn't unexpectedly rejected:

1. Diversion Not Touching Your Destination Also Qualifies

• The rule applies not just when the train skips your boarding station, but also if the train is diverted such that it does not touch your destination station. 

• If you choose not to travel because the train won't take you where you booked to go, you are equally eligible for a 100% full refund by filing a TDR within the same 72-hour window.

 

2. The 72-Hour Anchor Point is Always the Scheduled Departure at Boarding

• No matter whether the diversion affects your boarding station or your destination station, the countdown for the 72-hour TDR filing window always begins from the scheduled departure time of the train from your passenger boarding station.

 

3. What if the Train is Fully Cancelled Instead?

• If a train is completely cancelled by the railways (rather than just diverted), you do not even need to file a TDR. 

• Fully cancelled e-tickets receive an automatic full refund directly to the original payment source. The TDR route for diversions is specifically because the train is running, but its route has been altered.

 

4. Physical Counter Tickets (I-Tickets) Have a Different Counterpart

• If you hold a physical counter ticket for a diverted train instead of an e-ticket, you cannot use the online portal. 

• Instead, you can surrender the ticket at any computerized reservation counter up to 72 hours after the scheduled departure of the train to claim your refund.

 

To recap the full scope of what you need to know:

• The Core Entitlement: A 100% full refund with zero deductions if the train is diverted and bypasses your boarding or destination station, provided you choose not to travel. 

• The 72-Hour Window: You have up to 72 hours from the scheduled departure of the train at your boarding station to file your online TDR. 

• Destination Diversion Included: It applies equally if the train route changes so that it doesn't reach your booked destination. 

• Automatic vs. TDR: Remember, if the train is completely cancelled from source to destination, you don't file a TDR (it's automatic). The TDR is exclusively needed because the train is running on a changed route. 

• Counter vs. Online: E-tickets use the IRCTC portal/app within 72 hours, whereas physical counter (PRS) tickets require surrendering the ticket at a reservation counter.

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