Passengers booking train tickets from the railway ticket booking counters will also now be eligible to get insurance for their journey under the new rules. The Supreme Court has directed Indian Railways to extend insurance coverage to all train tickets purchased at railway station counters from October 27, 2026.
Notably, the existing online scheme offers up to Rs 10 lakh for death or permanent total disability, but the premium and process for offline bookings remain to be clarified.
The directive was issued by a bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan on October 6 while hearing a case concerning railway safety following the June 2023 Odisha train accident.
The court said it had given the authorities sufficient time to develop a mechanism for covering offline passengers but found that progress had not been made. It made the implementation mandatory and held the Railway Board directly responsible for any failure to comply.
Until now, passengers booking through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website or mobile app could opt for travel insurance during the booking process.
How much insurance cover passengers will get?
Passengers receive coverage for specified losses arising from railway accidents and certain other covered incidents during the journey.
The court has directed that counter tickets receive insurance coverage in the same manner as online tickets.
However, passengers need to wait for the Railways to clarify how the mandate will be implemented at reservation counters.
The practical process for issuing insurance certificates, identifying insured passengers and handling claims for counter-booked tickets will depend on the mechanism implemented by the authorities.
Under the current online insurance scheme, the insurance is applicable only for Indian Citizens who book their e-ticket through IRCTC for passengers of Indian Railways.
Passengers shall receive the policy information through SMS and on their registered email IDs directly from Insurance Companies along with the link for filling nomination details. However, Policy number can be viewed from Ticket booked history at IRCTC Page.
