Railway counter tickets get travel insurance from 27 October 2026 on Supreme Court orders
Key facts
- From 27 October 2026, tickets bought at railway station counters must carry travel insurance, on the same terms as online tickets.
- The Supreme Court ordered this on 6 October 2026. The bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan made the Railway Board directly responsible.
- Until now only IRCTC online bookings offered the optional cover, for a nominal premium of 45 paise.
- The order came in a safety case filed after the June 2023 Odisha (Balasore) train accident, which also pressed for the Kavach system.
Why it matters
[SC Ruling] The court used a safety petition to extend a benefit to poorer passengers, who mostly buy counter tickets. This is judicial direction of an executive body, with a hard deadline and named accountability. It also keeps the Kavach rollout, foot overbridges and track fencing under court watch. Expect questions on who runs insurance (IRCTC-arranged insurers, not Railways), the start date and the Balasore link. (Also: Indian Express, 25 October 2026.)