Train Delays Due to Fog? When and How You Can Get a 100% Refund

Every year, once winter sets in across North India, train passengers start preparing mentally not just for the cold wind cutting across platforms, but for the train delays that almost always come with fog season. If you’ve travelled around this time, you already know how it looks: people staring hopefully at the train display board, chai vendors doing brisk business, and someone muttering, “Why is this train so late?”

And somewhere among all the waiting and confusion, a very practical question appears: If the train is delayed so much, can I just cancel it and get my money back? Many travellers assume the answer is complicated or simply “no.” But the reality is much simpler and more traveller-friendly than most people realise.

Before we get into refund rules due to train delays, it helps to understand why fog throws the entire railway schedule off balance every winter.

Why Fog Causes Train Delays Every Winter

Fog isn’t just low visibility, it’s unpredictability and train delays. Railway drivers (loco pilots) aren’t working like car drivers who can simply slow down and keep going. The movement of a train is much more complicated and difficult. The pilots need to look for a range of factors such as crossings, signal, switching of tracks and co-ordinating with a number of train stations.

The speed of trains, especially during the winters, rely heavily on the visibility factor. Often the visibility will drop down to just 100 metres and sometimes even below 30 metres. With such figures of visibility, driving the train at the usual speed can be risky. The railway staff thus  delays the train due to safety issues. 

A senior railway staff member explained it once in a press briefing how in fog, they drive by caution instead of timetables.” It’s not just the train you are on. One delay disrupts another, then another, until the entire zone is running hours behind schedule. So yes, train delays during fog aren’t mismanagement or laziness. They are safety decisions.

When You Can Get a Full Refund

Now to the part travellers usually care about most.

Indian Railways has a clear rule: If the train is delayed by more than three hours from the scheduled departure, passengers can cancel their ticket and get a 100% refund.

This applies regardless of whether:

• The train delays are due to fog
• Some technical fault
• Operational congestion
• Or any other reason

That three-hour rule is the key. If you want to know the official train schedule of any train you can use RailMitra’s platform. You just have to enter your train name or number and the complete train time table would be displayed to you.

Different Ticket Types and Their Refund Eligibility

Not all tickets are treated the same, so here’s a simpler breakdown without jargon.

• Confirmed Tickets

If the delay crosses three hours and you cancel before boarding, you get your full money back. No deductions. If the train is fully cancelled, you don’t need to do anything. The refund happens automatically if booked online.

• RAC Tickets

RAC ticket holders also get the same benefit as confirmed passengers when the delay crosses three hours. So yes  you’re eligible for 100% refund.

• Waitlisted Ticket

If your booking stat remains waitlisted as the departure time gets closer, it will be canceled automatically and the refund transferred to your account. If the train is only delayed and not cancelled, you must cancel the waitlisted ticket before the revised departure time for tickets booked offline. Online tickets, if waitlisted, are cancelled automatically

You can also check PNR Status at the RailMitra platform in just a few clicks.

Tatkal and Premium Tatkal Tickets  The Interesting Part

Most passengers assume Tatkal tickets are never refundable. Normally, that’s true. But train delays fall under an exception category.

If the train is late by more than three hours, and you simply choose not to travel, you’re eligible for a full Tatkal refund. Same applies to Premium Tatkal. This rule changed after continuous winter complaints and confusion among passengers.

Refund Process for Online IRCTC Tickets

If the booking was done through IRCTC, you can cancel easily:

• If the train is rescheduled by more than 3 hours, cancel and get a full refund.
• If you decide after scheduled departure that you won’t travel  you must file a TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt).

Refunds usually reflect within 3–7 working days, although during peak winter delays, it may take slightly longer.

Refund Process for Counter Tickets

For offline tickets, you need to approach the reservation counter. Nowadays, most stations don’t require a separate delay certificate because everything is recorded digitally.

Refund is provided:

• In cash, or
• Back to the original payment method

depending on how the ticket was purchased.

A tip many travellers swear by: If your travel plan is cancelled and the delay is already crossing three hours, don’t waitstart the cancellation earlier.

How to File a TDR (Only if Needed)

A TDR is for cases where the scheduled departure time has passed and you didn’t travel.

To file:

1. Log in to IRCTC
2. Open Booked Tickets History
3. Select the delayed journey
4. Click File TDR
5. Choose the option:
   “Train late by more than 3 hours, passengers not traveling.”

TDR cases take longer to process, sometimes a month or even three, depending on the backlog. It may sound slow, but it’s normal during winter.

Tracking Train Delays in Real Time  A Practical Tool: RailMitra

Another recurring issue during fog season is lack of reliable, updated information. Sometimes station announcements say something, online portals say something else, and rumours travel faster than trains.

Apps like RailMitra help cut through that confusion. Passengers can:

• Track live running status
• Check how late the train is expected to run
• Get notifications for platform changes
• See whether the delay qualifies for a refund
• Check PNR & seat confirmation trends

For travellers juggling connecting transport, work commitments, or long-distance travel, such real-time tracking becomes essential, not just convenient.

Quick Reference Table

Closing Thoughts

Train delays due to fog during winter are almost a tradition at this point. For railway staff, loco pilots, vendors, and frequent travellers, it’s simply part of the season. Some accept it, some get frustrated, and some quietly sip their tea and adjust their plans.

But what shouldn’t happen is this: Passengers losing money only because they didn’t know their rights. So the next time the station screen says: “Running late by 225 minutes,” you don’t need to feel helpless. You have options  including walking away with your full fare refunded.

Knowing that alone makes the long wait feel a little less powerless.