Partial Ticket Cancellation: Canceling 2 people from a 4-person PNR without losing the others' seats.

Here is the complete, comprehensive guide to Partial Ticket Cancellation on Indian Railways, 

When you cancel 2 people from a 4-person PNR, this is called a Partial Cancellation. Your PNR number remains exactly the same, and the 2 passengers who are still traveling will keep their originally assigned coach and seat numbers.

 Here is every rule, process, and edge case you need to know.

1. How to Cancel Online (Before Chart Preparation)

If the final reservation chart has not yet been prepared (usually done 4 hours before departure), you can cancel the tickets directly through IRCTC. 

1.Access your booking:

Log into your IRCTC account, navigate to My Transactions, and click on Booked Ticket History. Select the PNR you want to modify.

2.Initiate cancellation:

Scroll down and click on the Cancel Ticket button for that specific booking.

3.Select passengers to cancel:Critical step - do not click 'Select All'.

The screen will display a list of all 4 passengers. Check the boxes only next to the names of the 2 people who are not traveling. Leave the boxes for the remaining 2 passengers completely empty.

4.Confirm cancellation:

Click 'Cancel' and confirm the prompt. The system will process the partial cancellation, generate a fresh ticket (ERS) for the remaining passengers, and display the refund amount for the cancelled seats.

Cancellation Charges and Timelines

The amount deducted from your refund depends entirely on when you cancel relative to the train's scheduled departure time.

Time of Cancellation (Before Departure)	Cancellation Charge (Per Cancelled Passenger)
48 Hours or more	Flat fee based on class: ₹240 (1A), ₹200 (2A), ₹180 (3A/CC), ₹120 (Sleeper), ₹60 (2S)
Between 48 hours and 12 hours	25% of the base fare (subject to the minimum flat fee above)
Between 12 hours and 4 hours	50% of the base fare (subject to the minimum flat fee above)

 Note: If you cancel an AC class ticket, GST is also deducted along with the cancellation charge.

2. How to Cancel AFTER Chart Preparation (The TDR Process)

Once the chart is prepared, the standard cancellation button on IRCTC is disabled. Because 2 passengers are still traveling, you cannot claim a pre-departure refund. You must use the "Party Partially Travelled" TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) process. 

1.Inform the TTE on the train:

When the Traveling Ticket Examiner (TTE) comes to check tickets, the two traveling passengers must explicitly inform them that the other two passengers did not board.

2.Obtain a GC/EFT Certificate:Without this, your refund will be rejected.

Ask the TTE to issue a Guard Certificate (GC) or Excess Fare Ticket (EFT). This physical receipt proves to the railways that only two passengers travelled on that booking.

3.File the TDR online:Must be done within 72 hours of the train's arrival.

Log into your IRCTC account. Navigate to My Transactions > File TDR. Select your PNR, choose the 2 passengers who didn't travel, and select "Party Partially Travelled" as the reason.

4.Mail the physical certificate to IRCTC:

Send the original GC/EFT certificate via Speed Post or Registered Post to IRCTC to manually verify and process your claim.

Mailing Address for the Certificate:

    Group General Manager/IT
    Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC)
    Internet Ticketing Centre,
    IRCA Building, State Entry Road,
    New Delhi - 110055

 (Always write your PNR and TDR reference number on the envelope, and take a photo of the certificate before mailing it. Refunds take roughly 60 days to process.)

3. Waitlist, RAC, and Mixed Status Rules

If your tickets are not confirmed at the time of chart preparation, different rules apply:

• Fully Waitlisted (E-Tickets): If all 4 passengers are Waitlisted after chart prep, the entire PNR is automatically cancelled. The 2 remaining passengers cannot travel on that ticket. A refund is automatically issued (minus ₹60 + GST per person). 

• Fully Waitlisted (Counter Tickets): Paper tickets from a station are not auto-cancelled. The remaining 2 passengers can travel in the Unreserved (General) coach. To get a refund for the other 2, you must take the paper ticket to a PRS counter within a specific time window. 

• RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation): RAC guarantees travel (sharing a Side Lower berth). Since the ticket is valid, it is not auto-cancelled. If 2 RAC passengers travel and 2 do not, you must use the physical TDR process mentioned above. TTEs use digital tablets (HHTs) to upgrade RAC passengers to full vacant berths strictly based on their sequential RAC number. 

• Mixed Status (Confirmed + Waitlist): If 2 passengers get Confirmed seats but the other 2 remain on the Waitlist, the Waitlisted tickets are automatically cancelled and refunded. If the 2 Confirmed passengers also decide not to travel, railways allows a special exception: you can cancel their tickets online up to 30 minutes before departure and get a nearly full refund.

 

4. Special Quotas and Booking Rules

• Tatkal Quota: If you partially cancel a Confirmed Tatkal ticket, you will get ₹0 as a refund. If it is Waitlisted/RAC Tatkal, you get a full refund minus the ₹60 (+GST) clerkage fee. 

• Auto-Upgradation: If your ticket was automatically upgraded to a higher class, the cancellation charges for the 2 dropping passengers are calculated based on the original class booked, not the upgraded class. 

• The Vikalp Scheme: Vikalp applies to the entire PNR. If your group is shifted to an alternate train, all 4 are moved. If 2 decide not to go, you must follow the cancellation timelines of the new train. 

• Suvidha Trains: These dynamic-pricing trains require you to cancel at least 6 hours before departure to get a 50% refund. Canceling within 6 hours yields ₹0. 

• Child Tickets (5-11 years): If the child was booked with a full berth, cancellation charges are the same as an adult. If booked without a berth (half fare), the percentage penalty is taken from the half-fare, but the minimum flat cancellation fee still applies in full. 

• Boarding Point Change: If you change your boarding station online, and then try to cancel tickets within 24 hours of departure, no refund is allowed. Always process your partial cancellation first, then change the boarding station.

5. Refunds, Food, and Logistics

• Integrated Food (Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Vande Bharat): The mandatory catering charges for the 2 cancelled passengers are fully refunded with their ticket. 

• IRCTC E-Catering: If you ordered food separately online using your PNR, canceling the train ticket does not cancel the food. You must log into the e-catering app and cancel the meals at least 2 hours before the delivery station. 

• Travel Insurance: The premium paid for the IRCTC travel insurance for the cancelled passengers is strictly non-refundable. 

• Convenience & Payment Gateway Fees: IRCTC convenience fees (₹15-₹30) and banking PG charges are never refunded. 

• Third-Party Apps & Agents: If you booked via MakeMyTrip, Paytm, etc., you must initiate the partial cancellation on their app, not IRCTC. If booked via a physical agent, you must contact them to cancel or collect your TDR cash. 

• Closed Bank Accounts: Because manual TDR refunds take 60+ days, if your original payment account has closed, the transaction will fail. You must take the IRCTC reference number to your bank's customer service to get the funds manually routed to your new account.

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