Traveling by train is one of the most popular and affordable ways to get around India. Millions of people use trains daily to visit their work cities or return home, especially during festival times. Recognizing the rush and need for convenience during busy seasons, Indian Railways has introduced a new scheme that will benefit many travelers. This scheme puts the focus on making travel cheaper and more comfortable when people book both their onward and return tickets at the same time.
From October 2025, if you plan to travel by train for festivals like Diwali or Chhath, you can now save money on your return ticket. Indian Railways is offering a special 20% discount on the return journey’s fare when you book both the onward and return tickets together. This means if you buy your tickets for going to your destination and coming back at the same time, you will get a good rebate on the cost of your return trip.
The goal of this new “Round Trip Package for Festival Rush” is to help spread out the heavy passenger crowd seen during festival seasons. Many people travel back home during these times, which often leads to overcrowded trains and long waits. This scheme encourages travelers to plan their trips better by booking both journeys in advance. This helps reduce rush on peak days and aims to make train travel smoother and more organized for everyone.
To use this offer, passengers need to book the tickets in the same name for both journeys, and the travel must be between the same starting point and destination in the same travel class. This scheme applies to confirmed tickets booked for the planned onward journey from October 13 to October 26, 2025, and the return journey between November 17 and December 1, 2025. Ticket booking under this scheme starts from August 14, 2025.
This offer is available across all classes and trains except those with dynamic pricing like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and Duronto trains, which follow a flexible fare system. Note that the 20% discount will be applied only to the base fare of the return ticket, not on other charges such as booking fees or taxes. Also, once the tickets are booked under this scheme, no modifications or refunds are allowed to ensure smooth processing.
