IRCTC Offers 20% Discount on Round Trip Train Tickets for Diwali and Chhath

The Festive Season is here and has gripped the nation. Diwali and Chhath are just around the corner and if you are planning to take a train journey, IRCTC has something special for you. Passengers who would book round trip train tickets within the prescribed time frame can avail 20% discount from the Indian Railways.

People from small cities often travel to big cities for employment or education opportunities. During the times of festivals, most of these people rush to their home towns. Budget is always a constraint here. Indian Railways offering of this discount comes as a major relaxation on their purse.

In this blog we are going to explain the Round Trip package, important dates that you should remember, eligibility and the complete step by step process to book return tickets. So, without wasting any second let’s head into getting your 20% discount.

What Exactly Is the Round Trip Package?

The Round Trip Package introduced by the Indian Railways during the Diwali and Chhath festival is an experimental step. The aim of IRCTC behind this move is to change the skewed travel rush and distribute it over a longer period of time. Indian Railways would thus be better equipped to handle travel rush and also offer the passengers a comfortable train journey.

Under this Round Trip package, passengers booking in the specified time frame would be allotted a 20% rebate. The discount would be on the base fare of the Return Train Ticket only. Passengers need to use the Connecting Journey feature to book the return journey ticket.

Important Dates You Should Know

Now coming to the most important part of the information, the travel dates. This discount offer is not valid all the time but only for the limited time slot mentioned below:

• For Onward Journey: 13th of October 2025 to 26th of October 2025
• For Return journey:17th of November 2025 to 1st of December 2025

The special offer extends to all the classes of the train and is even applicable on the special trains running during this festive season. The mode of both the booking should also be the same. This means either both of them should be booked online or both should be booked at the ticket booking counter. 

Who Can Use This Offer?

Before we head to the Step by step guide, let’s read some important information about the offer here:

1. The offer is valid only if both journeys are confirmed tickets. No waitlist or RAC. You can check your booking status using the PNR Status service at RailMitra.
2. The same passengers must travel on both legs — no name changes allowed.
3. Both tickets should be for the same class and the same origin-destination pair.
4. You have to book through the same mode — either both online on IRCTC or both at a reservation counter.
5. The rebate applies only on the base fare of the return journey.
6. No other discounts, Rail travel coupons, Voucher based bookings, Passes or PTOs etc would be admissible once these concessional schemes are utilised.

In short, if you and your family book Delhi–Patna for Diwali and Patna–Delhi for Chhath, you’ll automatically get a 20% discount on the way back — as long as everything matches up.

How to Book the Round Trip

Before you head on to book the Round trip ticket and avail the discount first check if the seats are available for booking. You can do so by using RailMitra’s train seat availability service.

After this, you can follow these steps to Book the Round Trip ticket and get the promotional discount 

1. First book the train ticket for your Onward journey.  Remember you need to book the ticket in the prescribed time frame of 13th October 2025 and 26th October 2025.

2. Then book your return ticket using the “Connecting Journey” feature. Choose your date between 17th November and 1st December 2025.

3. The system automatically applies the 20% rebate on the base fare of the return trip.

You’ll get two separate PNRs — one for each journey — but both will be linked under your round-trip plan. Just remember, once booked, no modifications or refunds are allowed under this offer.

Why This Move Makes Sense

Indian Railways face train congestion every year during this Diwali and Chhath festive season. While trains running Eastwards are packed before Diwali, the Westwards returning trains often go half filled.

This problem exaggerates as most people leave the train ticket booking to the last minute. This further creates a last minute rush which is inconvenient both for the passengers as well as the Indian Railways. 

The discount on the Round Trip package will encourage people to plan their return journey in advance. With this discount most passengers would book tickets in advance which will end the last minute rush. Indian Railways would also be equipped to handle the situation now that it has information about the return journey trends. 

Perfect for the 5-Week Festive Break

This offer is timed just right for people planning an extended festive vacation — those lucky ones taking a five-week break to cover both Diwali and Chhath.

Picture this: you leave for home on October 15, spend Diwali with family, enjoy the rituals and sweets, then stay back for Chhath Puja before heading back around November 25. With this offer, you can lock both tickets in one go — no waiting lists, no tension, and a lighter bill.

To make your journey more efficient use Live train running status service. With this service you can check the live station, exact running time and even the platform number on which the train will arrive.

More Than Just a Discount

As we have explained earlier, this Round Trip discount scheme is not just a promotional coupon but rather a logistical experiment. Indian Railways is trying to see if these discounts can lead to ease in congestion and even out the travel rush during the festive season.

This is a much broader step that if worked successfully, could also be reimplemented or even elaborated. It also builds trust. Passengers get confidence that IRCTC is actively thinking about their travel pain points, not just running trains.

Final Takeaway

The IRCTC Round Trip Package is a rare win-win — good for passengers and good for Railways. A 20% rebate, flexibility in return booking, and confirmed tickets on both sides — all bundled into one festive offer.

So, if you are planning to take a journey to the home this Diwali and Chhath, you can use these travel dates and can save one fifth of the return ticket price.

Don’t let anything stop you from going home this Diwali and Mahaparv Chhath. We wish you many many congratulations on the upcoming festive season. May God bless you all!