IRCTC offers 20% discount on railway ticket booking from Aug 14, 2025, but there’s a catch

In order to avoid rush during upcoming festivals, Indian Railways has introduced a 20% rebate on the basic ticket of the return journey for round-trip packages. This is good news for anyone planning a five-week vacation with family during the Diwali and Chhath holidays. Bookings for the round-trip package, which is being offered on an experimental basis, will begin from August 14, 2025.

Round-trip package travel dates

Bookings can be made for travel between October 13, 2025 and October 26, 2025, as well as return journey tickets from November 17, 2025 to December 1, 2025. Note that the current advance reservation term of 60 days is not applicable to discounted return journey tickets.

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Who can avail the discount?

The 20% discount is available under this Round-trip package plan when the same group of people books tickets for both forward and return trips. Passenger information for the return trip must be identical to that for the subsequent trip.

Round-trip package booking dates & process

According to a PIB release on August 9, 2025, “Bookings start on 14 August 2025 for onward travel between 13 October and 26 October 2025. The onward ticket must be booked first, and the return ticket can then be booked using the connecting journey feature for travel between 17 November and 1 December 2025. The advance reservation period rule will not apply to the return journey.”

Conditions for ticket booking

Eligibility is limited to confirmed tickets in both directions. For both trips, reservations must be made for the same class and origin-destination pair. In addition to being non-refundable and non-modifiable, tickets purchased through this program must be purchased online or in person at a reservation desk.

Round-trip package rebate details & eligibility

Only the base fare for the return trip will be eligible for a 20% refund. All classes and all trains including special trains are eligible for the deal, with the exception of those with flexi fares. No other discounts, rail travel coupons, passes, or concessional fares will apply.

Note that the discounted return journey tickets, which can be purchased for travel between November 17, 2025 and December 1, 2025, will not be subject to the usual 60-day advance reservation requirement.