No separate policy: Amrit Bharat II Express reserved tickets to be governed by Vande Bharat Sleeper norms
Amrit Bharat II Express ticket policy, Vande Bharat Sleeper reservation policy: The Ministry of Railways has said that reserved tickets for Amrit Bharat II Express trains will be governed by the same rules applicable to Vande Bharat Sleeper Express services. This means there will be no separate reserved ticket policy for Amrit Bharat II Express trains.
In a notification issued on January 19, the Ministry of Railways said: “Provisions for Amrit Bharat II Express – The reserved ticket of Amrit Bharat II Express shall be governed by the rules as are applicable to the reserved ticket of Vande Bharat Sleeper Express.”
According to the national transporter, the Amrit Bharat II Express category includes trains (Amrit Bharat) that will be introduced across the railway network from January 2026 onwards. The Amrit Bharat Express is a new-generation train service offering affordable and safe long-distance inter-state travel with modern passenger-friendly features.
According to the new fare structure, the national transporter has fixed the minimum chargeable distance at 200 km for Sleeper class and 50 km for Second class.
However, the basic fare for the new Amrit Bharat Express trains remains unchanged and will be the same as that of the Amrit Bharat Express introduced before January 2026. The basic fare of the Amrit Bharat Express is Rs 149 for Sleeper class for journeys up to 200 km, and Rs 36 for Second class for journeys up to 50 km.
In a letter dated January 15, 2026, to all Principal Chief Commercial Managers, the Railway Board said: “Other charge like reservation charge, Superfast surcharge etc as applicable shall be levied separately. Rounding off of fare shall be made as per existing principle.”
The Railway Board has also revised ticketing rules: RAC (Reservation Against Cancellation) will no longer be available in Sleeper class. However, tickets for unreserved Second class will continue to be issued as per existing provisions.
“There shall be no provision for RAC tickets. For unreserved second class, tickets shall be issued as per existing provision. All available berths will be available from the day of Advance Reservation Period(ARP),” the letter reads.
According to the Railway Board, there will be only three quotas in Sleeper class of Amrit Bharat II Express train. These are: Ladies quota, quota for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and Senior Citizen quota. “No other reservation quota shall be applicable for this train. For unreserved second class, it shall be applicable as per existing principles,” it said. However, the eligibility of Duty Pass for Railway employees shall be at par with eligibility in Mail/Express type trains.
In a notification issued on January 15, Railway Board said that there will be no provision of RAC in Vande Bharat Sleeper Express. It also added that the minimum chargeable distance shall be 400 km.
“There shall be only Ladies quota, quota for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), Senior Citizen quota and Duty Pass quota as per existing instructions issued from time to time. No other reservation quota shall be applicable in this train,” it stated.
Anish Mondal is a journalist with over nine years of experience covering the railways and roadways. ... Read More
