Indian Railways

Rules and Procedures to Cancel PRS Counter Tickets Online

While those who utilize the IRCTC’s advanced cutting edge e-ticketing site to book train tickets might be comfortable with the procedure of cancelling them online, but one must know the new feature introduced by IRCTC which allows the passengers to cancel the tickets purchased from any of the PRS counter present at the station premises. The facility of counter ticket cancellation by Indian Railways was earlier allowed via offline mode only. The passengers were required to fill up the cancellation requisite form and surrender the original ticket to the reservation clerk present at the reservation counter and the clerk would cancel the ticket and refund the remaining amount, after applying the cancellation charges, depending on the status of the ticket. There are multiple situations where a passenger has to cancel their tickets.

  1. When Tickets are not confirmed:
    There are instances when someone books a ticket and receives an RAC or Waitlist status, he/she might not like to or not allowed to (in case of waitlist) to board the train and continue the journey. Hence, the tickets are cancelled by the passenger with a view to discontinuing the journey.

  2. When a journey is postponed:
    Circumstances may arise where a passenger has to postpone his journey for any unforeseen reason. This may lead to cancellation of tickets as the journey date will be extended to some other date.

  3. In case of any unforeseen situation or emergency:
    An Emergency situation may arise anytime and anywhere. It can be a medical emergency or any health issues due to which the passenger can’t travel. Hence, the tickets are cancelled for the same.

  4. Late Train running status:
    Winter season travel is a time where even the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains arrive late. Passengers’ are seen checking their train running status regularly on their mobile screen. If such a situation arises, the passenger might postpone the journey date and cancel their tickets.

  5. In Case of Heavy Rush:
    Rush seasons are those where the probability to get confirm tickets moves down to negative. Such a situation can be easily noticed in the summer season where Indian Railways has to run extra special trains to Bangalore and Delhi as students and parents migrate to these places for academic purposes. Examination special trains are also run especially for the students to migrate for attending Government job-related exams or appearing for engineering and medical entrance exams. There is a high probability to get tickets in a Waitlist status. There are heavy cancellation rates observed in rush seasons.

If you have a PRS counter ticket booked and long queues at the PRS counter annoys you, then visit the new generation IRCTC ticketing website which facilitates the passengers to cancel their PRS counter issued tickets online even without logging in to the account. Yes! You don’t need any username, ID or password for the same.

Steps to Cancel Your PRS Counter Ticket online

  • Visit IRCTC official website and under the “Train” section, choose “Cancel Ticket” and then “Counter Ticket”.
  • You can also navigate to “More” section present in the corner of the header section. As you hover on the “More” Section, a dropdown appears with the option to “Cancel Counter Tickets”.
  • Enter PNR number, train number and solve the captcha code.
  • Click on submit button and you will receive an OTP. Enter the OTP and validate.
  • After validation, PNR details, total refund amount, “Cancel Ticket” button, will appear on the screen in a specified format “Sample format: “Your PNR xxxxxxxxxx has been cancelled. Collect refund amout xxxxx from journey commencing station or nearby satellite PRS locations. Ref. Terms & conditions”.
  • Click on cancel button and you will receive an SMS with the PNR number and refund details on your registered mobile.
  • Claim the refund for your ticket at the PRS counter of the Journey commencing station or from near satellite PRS locations.

Rules for Cancellation of PRS Counter Ticket:

  • Tickets can only be cancelled when a valid mobile number is given during the time of booking.
  • Online Cancellation shall be allowed only up to 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train in case of a confirm ticket.
  • In case of RAC/Waitlist tickets, cancellation is allowed 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure of the train.

IRCTC through its revamped website is providing various functionalities and facilities which have made passengers easy to plan their travel. Now you need only an internet connection and the cancellation is done. Avoid long serpentine queues at the PRS counter and cancel them online. However, for the passengers who are not cancelling their tickets and getting prepared to journeying, can order tasty food in train of their choice.

Author: Rohit Choubey


Rohit is an avid blogger as well an eminent digital marketeer. He has immense passion towards food blogging. His hobbies include travelling, cooking and watching movies. He is the content analyst for RailMitra.

Recent Post

Hidden Beauty: Lesser-Known Beautiful Train Routes
Hidden Beauty: Lesser-Known Beautiful Train Routes
Safety Tips for Solo Travellers on Indian Trains
Safety Tips for Solo Travellers on Indian Trains
The Role of RailMitra in Enhancing the Passengers Experience
The Role of RailMitra in Enhancing the Passengers...
Managing Train Delays: Tools and Apps to Stay Updated
Managing Train Delays: Tools and Apps to Stay Upda...
RailMitra: The Ultimate Companion for Indian Railways Travellers
RailMitra: The Ultimate Companion for Indian Railw...

Rail News

Indian Railways Special Trains to Handle the Shravani Mela Rush
Indian Railways Special Trains to Handle the Shrav...
Why Train Accidents Occur in India
Why Train Accidents Occur in India
Passengers Can Now Order Food in Train on Whatsapp 
Passengers Can Now Order Food in Train on Whatsapp...
Milestone for Railways: Meghalaya Receives First Electric Train
Milestone for Railways: Meghalaya Receives First E...
Indian Railways Amrit Bharat Scheme All You Need to Know
Indian Railways Amrit Bharat Scheme All You Need t...

Top Categories

Author: Rohit Choubey


Rohit is an avid blogger as well an eminent digital marketeer. He has immense passion towards food blogging. His hobbies include travelling, cooking and watching movies. He is the content analyst for RailMitra.