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Vande Bharat Sleeper: Following the immense success of the Vande Bharat Express, the country has now received its first 'Vande Bharat Sleeper' train. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently flagged off this first sleeper train, which runs between Howrah and Kamakhya (Guwahati). This train is ready to compete with airplanes in terms of facilities and speed, but passengers planning to travel on it will need to be more careful with their finances and planning. The new refund and cancellation rules issued by the railways for this premium train are quite strict. If you are even slightly hasty in booking your ticket or change your plans later, you could suffer significant financial losses.

Heavy Financial Penalty for Ticket Cancellation
According to the new notification issued by the Railway Board, these rules have been made very stringent. The biggest concern from a passenger's perspective is that if you do not cancel your ticket at least 8 hours before the scheduled departure time, you will not receive any refund. This means your entire fare will be forfeited.

If you have a confirmed ticket and cancel it more than 72 hours before the train's departure, 25% of the fare will be deducted, and the remaining amount will be refunded. However, if you cancel the ticket between 72 hours and 8 hours before departure, the railway will deduct a full 50% of the fare. This means you will only receive half of the amount as a refund.

RAC Facility Eliminated
In regular trains, when a ticket is not confirmed, the RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) facility at least guarantees boarding the train and getting half a seat. However, the railways have eliminated this system in the Vande Bharat Sleeper. Furthermore, the railways have also clarified that not all types of quotas will be applicable on this train. According to the current instructions, only quotas for women, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and duty passes will be valid. No other type of VIP or general quota will be applicable. Additionally, the minimum fare for this premium service is set for a distance of 400 kilometers, meaning that even if you travel a shorter distance, you will still be charged for 400 kilometers.

Airline-like amenities
This train, which has started operating on the Howrah-Guwahati route, is fully air-conditioned and designed to make overnight journeys comfortable. This train will reduce travel time on this route by approximately two and a half hours. The railways aim to provide passengers with an airline-like experience at affordable fares. Similar to the strict ticket cancellation rules and limited refunds offered by airlines, the rules for the Vande Bharat Sleeper train have also been designed along the same lines.

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