SC makes insurance mandatory for all train tickets from Oct 27; here's what it means for customers booking offline

The SC has directed Indian Railways to insure tickets bought at station counters from October 27, 2026, extending coverage already available optionally to online ticket holders. Details here. 

The Supreme Court has directed Indian Railways to extend insurance coverage to passengers buying train tickets at station counters from October 27, 2026. At present, passengers can get this facility when making train travel reservations online by paying a nominal additional amount.

A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan pronounced the order on October 6 while hearing a petition filed in the aftermath of the Odisha train accident that happened in June 2023.

The plea sought an inquiry into the crash, alleging that the failure to implement the Kavach train protection system had contributed to the tragedy. It also called for the safety system to be rolled out across the railway network.

SC flags lack of progress on offline ticket insurance

In earlier hearings, the Supreme Court had given Indian Railway authorities time to devise a mechanism to extend insurance coverage to passengers buying tickets offline, including those from economically weaker sections of society.

However, during the October 6 hearing, the bench noted that no progress had been made and decided to issue a directive mandating the coverage.

It also warned that the Railway Board would be held directly responsible for any failure to implement the order.

“The Court has granted sufficient time to the authorities to devise a mechanism for extending such coverage to persons belonging to the lowest strata of society, who, in most cases, purchase their tickets at the railway reservation counters while undertaking journeys by train. As there has been no progress on this aspect either, we direct that within two weeks, i.e., with effect from 27.10.2026, all tickets sold over the counter at all railway stations shall also be covered by insurance in the same manner as tickets purchased online,” the order read, according to Livelaw.