Indian Railways has announced five major reforms under the ‘Reform Express’ initiative. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav shared information about these changes on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The main objective of these reforms is to increase passenger convenience, speed up freight movement and improve the quality of rail projects. So far, a total of nine major reforms have been introduced by the Indian Railways in the year 2026.
What are the new rules related to passenger convenience and ticket refund?
According to the new rules of Railways, now passengers will be able to change their boarding station online only 30 minutes before the departure of the train. Earlier this facility was available only before the preparation of reservation chart. Apart from this, the refund rules have been tightened to prevent black marketing of tickets, which will be applicable between April 1 and April 15, 2026. Now, on cancellation of e-ticket, refund will automatically be credited to the account and passengers will get the facility to cancel the counter ticket from any station in the country.
Time Limit (before train departure) Refund Status More than 72 hours Maximum refund (minus cancellation charges) Between 72 to 24 hours 25% of fare will be deducted Between 24 to 8 hours 50% of fare will be deducted Less than 8 hours No refund
Major changes made in freight transportation and railway construction works
Railways has prepared special stainless steel containers for the transportation of salt. These containers are rustproof and will have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. Also, the automobile industry has now been given the freedom to design wagons as per their needs, which will make it easier to carry cars and other vehicles. Seven new rules have also been made to bring transparency in construction works. Now only those companies will be able to participate in big projects which have previous experience in railway projects.
Boarding Station: Passengers can now change stations up to 30 minutes before the departure of the train from the original station.
Refund Facility: Now there will be no need to fill TDR for e-ticket, the money will be returned automatically.
build quality: The eligibility limit for contractors has been increased from 35% to 50%.
Stopping corruption: The limit on sub-contracting has been reduced from 70% to 40%.
