Train Ticket Insurance from October 27, 2026: Coverage, Premium and Supreme Court Order

As per the directions issued by the Supreme Court, from October 27, 2026, it will become mandatory for Indian Railways to cover insurance of tickets booked through railway station counters. The order was issued to bridge the gap between the booking of tickets through online and offline channels because passengers who bought tickets through the IRCTC portal or application had the option of buying insurance. In case of insurance through the online channel, the maximum coverage possible is ₹10 lakh in the event of death or permanent total disablement.

What Did the Supreme Court Order?

In the Supreme Court case on October 6, 2026, a Bench consisting of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan ordered Indian Railways to cover all the tickets booked from the railway station counters with insurance from October 27, 2026.

This directive is intended to ensure that those passengers who book tickets offline receive the insurance benefit similar to what was made available to passengers booking eligible online tickets. The Railway Board shall take care of its implementation.

Previously, the passengers were able to avail of the travel insurance benefit for those tickets that they booked through the IRCTC website or application. However, the passengers buying tickets from railway station counters did not get that benefit.

What Will Be the Amount of Insurance Coverage Available to Passengers?

As per the present scheme of insurance for travelling on the rail route, the amount of insurance coverage provided in case of any accident or event is as follows,

Sources: Ministry of Railway’s information as released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB). This is the reported amount of insurance coverage under the current scheme and the ultimate arrangements for counter tickets would depend upon the execution of the Railways.

The maximum amount of insurance is not payable in all cases. It would be subject to the nature of injury or loss.

What is the Railway Ticket Insurance Premium?

The current optional scheme of online railway insurance premium has been reported to be charged at 45 paise per passenger including taxes, as per reports published in October 2026. Insurance was available to online customers while booking.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Railways to provide insurance coverage on counter bookings on par with online bookings. The exact procedure of collecting the premium for offline purchases needs to be clarified.

Is Insurance Premium Automatically Included in Case of Counter Booking?

As per the Supreme Court’s order, insurance becomes mandatory for all tickets booked at railway counters from October 27, 2026 onwards. Passengers thus need to keep themselves informed regarding how the Railways will implement this order.

Practical details such as procedure of noting the insurance on counter bookings, documents needed, and submission of claim procedures, among others, need to be conveyed.

Why did the Supreme Court give this Direction?

This direction came up during the process related to railway safety following the Odisha train accident of June 2023. There were issues regarding the installation of Kavach train safety systems and other passenger safety measures.

It was mentioned in the court that enough time had been given by the court to the Railways to develop a system to extend insurance to passengers buying tickets through physical counter but sufficient progress had not been done in this regard. Thus, it was made compulsory from October 27 and the Railway Board would be responsible for this issue.

What should passengers do in case of a railway accident?

In the event of an accident, passengers and their family members should save their tickets and travel details. If there is an injury to any passenger or any incident that might be covered by insurance, then documents such as medical records and bills can be needed depending upon the claim.