With the festive season just around the corner, the Indian Railways has rolled out a welcome gift for passengers a new Round Trip Scheme aimed at making travel more affordable and bookings more convenient.
The scheme offers passengers a 20% discount on the base fare of their return journey when they book round-trip tickets through the IRCTC Rail Connect mobile app. The initiative is designed to reduce the festive rush and encourage passengers to plan both legs of their travel in advance.
How Does It Work?
The Round Trip Scheme is valid for travel during the peak festival window, with the onward journey to be booked between October 13 and October 26, 2025, and the return journey scheduled between November 17 and December 1, 2025. 
Booking is simple and entirely app-based. Here’s how passengers can benefit:
Step 1: Booking the Onward Journey
- Open the IRCTC Rail Connect app and select “Train” from the home screen.
- Choose the “Festival Round Trip” option and read the scheme details.
- Search for trains between October 13–26, 2025. Only trains with confirmed seat availability are eligible.
- Note: Trains under Flexi or Dynamic fare pricing are not included.
- Fill in passenger details (these remain the same for the return trip), make the payment, and confirm the ticket.
- Once booked, you’ll see a prompt to “Book Return Journey (20% Discount)”.
Step 2: Booking the Return Journey
- From either the confirmation page or “My Bookings”, tap on the return booking option.
- The app auto-fills the source and destination – these cannot be changed.
- Choose a return date between November 17 and December 1, 2025, and select a train (again, no Flexi/Dynamic fare options).
- Review the journey and passenger details, which must match the onward ticket.
- The discounted base fare will already be reflected.
- Make the payment to complete your booking.
What’s Included — and What’s Not
The 20% discount applies only to the base fare of the return ticket. Charges such as reservation fees, superfast surcharges, GST, and other taxes remain unchanged and are payable in full.
A Timely Move
With millions of passengers traveling during Diwali, Chhath, and other autumn festivals, Indian Railways hopes this scheme will ease pressure on the system while making round-trip planning simpler and more affordable for travelers.
Whether you’re heading home for Diwali or planning a post-festival return, this scheme could be the ticket to smoother, cheaper journeys — but only if you plan ahead.
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