Indian Railways has introduced a pilot Round Trip Package for Festival Rush, offering a 20 % discount on the base fare of return journey tickets. This benefit is activated when both onward and return trips are booked together for the same set of passengers, same travel class, and identical origin-destination provided they are confirmed tickets.

Bookings open on August 14, 2025, with the onward journey window set from October 13 to October 26, and the return journey window from November 17 to December 1. The return ticket must be booked after the onward one using the “connecting journey” feature, and Advance Reservation Period (ARP) rules will not apply to the return leg.

Tickets purchased under this scheme are non-refundable, and no modifications, vouchers, passes, or additional discounts are allowed during the return journey booking. 

This initiative aims to smooth out festival rush, improve train utilization, and offer travelers more cost-effective and convenient booking options potentially setting the stage for broader adoption if successful.