Lockdown Extension: Railways to cancel 39 lakh tickets

With the Indian Railways extending the suspension of passenger train services till May 3, the national transporter set to cancel around 39 lakh tickets booked for April 15-May 3. By this decision, around 15,523 trains will be affected, including 9,000 passenger trains and 3,000 mail express services which run daily.

New Delhi:Indian Railways is set to cancel around 39 lakh tickets booked for travel between April 15 to May 3 due to extension of the nationwide lockdown and suspension of passenger trains till then in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The national transporter said a full refund of fare would be automatically provided to its online customers for trains cancelled up to May 3, while those who booked the tickets at the counters can claim the refund till July 31.

Customers will also get full refund in case of advance bookings for trains not yet cancelled, it said.

The railways further said that all counters for booking of rail journey tickets for reserved or unreserved travel at railway stations and outside railway station premises shall remain closed till May 3 midnight.

It said no advance reservation of trains tickets, including e-tickets, will be allowed till further orders. However, the facility of online cancellation will remain functional.

"As far as trains cancelled up to May 3 are concerned, refunds would be automatically provided by the railways online to the customers, while those who have booked at the counters, refund can be taken up to July 31. Full refund will be given for tickets for the bookings made for the trains cancelled," it said.

"Full refund will also be there for those cancelling the advance bookings of tickets for trains not yet cancelled," the railways said.

With the railways allowed ticket booking during the 21-day lockdown for journeys after April 14, around 39 lakh bookings were made by passengers hoping that trains will be in operation post-lockdown, sources said.

However, with the announcement of the extension of the lockdown period, railways on Tuesday not only cancelled all its passenger services till May 3, but also stopped all advance bookings.

Even as the announcement stalled railways, over 15,000 passenger trains, thousands of migrant workers converged near the Bandra railway station in Mumbai hoping to catch trains back to their home states.

While they were dispersed later, questions were raised as to why railways kept bookings open despite the uncertainty over the extension of the lockdown period.

PM Modi on Tuesday announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic, saying the measure will produce a significant outcome in containing the infection.

"In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown, it has been decided that all passenger train services on Indian Railways, including premium trains, mail/express trains, passenger trains, suburban trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway shall continue to remain cancelled till 2400 hours of May 3," a statement from the railways said.

It also said that to ensure essential supplies in various parts of the country, movement of goods and parcel trains will remain operational.

Railways has also extended its earlier waiver of demurrage, wharfage, stacking, stabling, detention and ground usage charges till May 3 for those using its freight services in view of the extension of the lockdown period.

These charges were previously waived off till April 14.

After Modi's announcement of a 21-day lockdown across the country on March 22, the railways on March 24 had announced that its suspension of all passenger services will continue till April 14 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Around 15,523 trains will be affected, including 9,000 passenger trains and 3,000 mail express services which run daily.

India has so far reported 10,363 COVID-19 cases and 339 deaths.

PTI Report