Train Travel Insurance: ₹10L Cover for ₹0.45?
The Supreme Court has ordered Indian Railways to make travel insurance mandatory for all train tickets sold at station counters from October 27, 2026 — extending the optional cover that online bookers already get to every offline passenger too.
₹0.45 is less than 1/10th the cost of a sip of platform chai — but buys ₹10 lakh accident cover.
Your train ticket now covers ₹10 lakh accident insurance for less than 1 paisa per rupee of fare
Key Takeaways
Update your nominee name and contact details on your Aadhaar or any Railways-linked ID so a claim can be processed quickly if needed.
If you book online via IRCTC and have been opting out of the ₹0.45 insurance to save money, opt back in — the cover-to-cost ratio is exceptional.
Inform elderly or rural family members who buy counter tickets: from October 27, their ticket automatically includes ₹10 lakh accident cover — no extra step needed.
The Supreme Court has ordered Indian Railways to make travel insurance mandatory for all train tickets sold at station counters from October 27, 2026 — extending the optional cover that online bookers already get to every offline passenger too.
Here's what happened: The Supreme Court ordered Indian Railways to make ₹0.45 travel insurance mandatory for all station-counter tickets from October 27, 2026.. The cover — ₹10 lakh for accidental death, ₹7.5 lakh for permanent disability — was previously optional only for IRCTC online bookers.. Offline ticket buyers, who include millions of daily-wage workers, senior citizens, and rural passengers, were entirely excluded until this ruling..
What you should do: Update your nominee name and contact details on your Aadhaar or any Railways-linked ID so a claim can be processed quickly if needed.. If you book online via IRCTC and have been opting out of the ₹0.45 insurance to save money, opt back in — the cover-to-cost ratio is exceptional.. Inform elderly or rural family members who buy counter tickets: from October 27, their ticket automatically includes ₹10 lakh accident cover — no extra step needed..
For online IRCTC bookings, the insurance opt-in screen appears during checkout — if you previously opted out, your saved preference may still default to 'No'. Manually check and switch it to 'Yes' on your next booking.
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- [1]“SC makes insurance mandatory for all train tickets from Oct 27; here's what it means for customers booking offline” mint - money · 14 Oct 2026
This article is reported by GoCredit's Editorial Team based on the source above. GoCredit synthesises, contextualises, and adds India-borrower-relevant analysis. We are not the original publisher.
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