In a bid to curb last-minute speculative bookings and ensure ticket availability for genuine passengers at no extra cost, the Indian Railways on Tuesday unveiled a set of new refund rules for confirmed train tickets.Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, as part of the “52 reforms in 52 weeks” initiative, announced five new reforms focusing on cargo, construction and passenger convenience.Speaking on ticket cancellation and refunds, Vaishnaw said the cancellation time windows had been revised. Earlier, tickets could be cancelled 48, 12 and four hours before departure. These have now been updated to 72, 24 and eight hours, in alignment with the advance preparation of reservation charts, which now occur nine to 18 hours before departure instead of four hours. These changes come at no extra cost to passengers.As per the new cancellation norms for confirmed ticket for cancellations made less than eight hours before departure, no refund will be issued. If the cancellation occurs between eight and 24 hours before departure, 50 per cent of the fare will be deducted. For cancellations made between 24 and 72 hours prior to departure, 25 per cent of the fare will be deducted.Cancellations made more than 72 hours before departure will only incur a minimum flat cancellation fee. Early chart preparation enhances passenger convenience by reducing uncertainty, allowing better planning for wait-listed travellers, supporting passengers from remote locations and optimising the use of vacant berths.Vaishnaw also announced that soon counter tickets can now be cancelled from any railway station across the country, removing the earlier restriction of cancellation only at the originating station.