The Supreme Court of India has directed that travel insurance coverage will be mandatory for all passengers buying their train journey tickets at station counters from 27 October 2026. At present, passengers can opt for this facility when they buy their journey tickets online by paying a nominal additional amount.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan pronounced the order on 6 October 2026, while hearing a petition filed in the aftermath of a train accident that happened in Odisha state in June 2023.
The bench in its order said that all tickets sold offline must be covered by travel insurance from 27 October 2026. This is a mandatory direction to the railways, rather than an optional facility that passengers can independently choose.
Travel insurance is currently optional for passengers who book their tickets online through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation's web portal or mobile app.
The insurance cover currently costs INR0.45paise (0.005US cent) per passenger, inclusive of taxes, and is presently unavailable for tickets booked at railway counters. However, the premium payable for the travel insurance while booking at the counters is yet to be confirmed and may differ from the online rate.
The final process for issuing insurance certificates, identifying insured passengers and handling claims for counter-booked tickets will also depend on the mechanism implemented by the authorities.
Travel insurance is, however, not applicable for children under five years, for whom a ticket has to be booked without a berth or seat. It is applicable for children between five and 11 years, for whom the ticket can be booked with or without a berth. When any category of passenger opts for insurance, the claim and the liability shall be between the insured and the insurance company.
The current cover under the existing scheme provides a coverage of INR10,00,000 ($10,532) in case of death.