Indian Railways has unveiled a new festive season offer aimed at making travel during peak festival months more affordable and hassle-free. The “Round Trip Package for Festival Rush” scheme will provide passengers with a 20 percent discount on the base fare when booking both onward and return tickets together. The offer begins on August 14, 2025, and will be applicable for journeys between Dussehra, Diwali, and Chhath festivals.

Travel Dates and Eligibility

Under this scheme, the onward journey must take place between October 13 and October 26, 2025. The return journey should be scheduled between November 17 and December 1, 2025. The discount will only be applied to the base fare and is specifically designed for passengers traveling during the festive season rush.

Objective of the Scheme

The primary aim of this initiative is to manage the heavy passenger traffic during festival periods while offering cost savings to travelers. By encouraging round trip bookings, Indian Railways hopes to ensure better seat availability, improve utilization of two-way train services, and reduce congestion at stations. Additionally, the scheme will help in managing the capacity of special festival trains more effectively.

Conditions for Availing the Discount

The 20 percent discount applies exclusively to the base fare and is valid only when both journeys are booked in the same travel class, on the same train type, for the same passengers, and on the same route. Bookings must be made through a single mode—either online via IRCTC or at a railway station counter—and the return ticket must be booked using the same medium. The offer does not apply to flexi-fare model trains such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and similar services.

Refunds, ticket modifications, or combining the discount with other concessions such as passes, vouchers, or special discounts are not permitted.

Expected Impact on Passengers

This special scheme will give passengers the confidence of having both onward and return tickets secured well in advance, reducing last-minute booking stress. It is also expected to ease crowding at ticket counters and on high-demand trains. With lower travel costs and guaranteed reservations, passengers can plan their festival visits more efficiently.

Starting August 14, passengers can log in to the IRCTC website or visit a station booking counter to reserve tickets. By selecting the “Connecting Journey” option, travelers must first book the onward ticket, followed by the return ticket using the same booking method and passenger details. Once the booking is confirmed, the 20 percent discount on the return journey’s base fare will be applied automatically.