Indian Railways has cancelled all regular train tickets booked for travel till June 30. The Indian Railways has announced that the trains have been cancelled and full refunds will be issued to all passengers who had booked tickets for travel in these special trains.
These measures, however, do not include the Shramik Special trains and special trains that started running from May 12. Shramik Special trains are taking migrant labourers from different states to their home states while the special trains are running on 15 routes to ferry stranded Indians across the country.
On May 12, Indian Railways had started 15 special trains in the ongoing lockdown with an aim to gradually resume the train services in India that are a lifeline for transport and communication in the country.
The tickets of regular trains, which are being cancelled, were booked during the lockdown period when the railways was allowing bookings for journeys in June.
Regular mail, express, passenger and suburban services of the railways had been suspended from March 25 due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.
On the first day of bookings on IRCTC, the Indian Railways had booked tickets for 80,000 passengers, earning a staggering amount of Rs 16 crore.
While all e-tickets will be refunded automatically, those bought at the counter for journeys post March 21 can be cancelled and refunds taken upon submission of the ticket up to six months from date of journey instead of the present three days excluding day of journey.
"Passenger can file TDR (Ticket Deposit Receipt) within six months from date of journey instead of 3 days at the station and submit the detailed TDR within next sixty (60) days (instead of 10 days) to Chief
Claims Officer/CCM Refund office for getting the refund amount, subject to verification," the order stated.
It also said that for e-tickets while online cancellation and refund facility is available, passengers can also cancel PRS counter ticket through 139 or through the website of IRCTC and get refund across the
counter within six months from journey, instead of up to schedule departure of the train.
Regular mail, express, passenger and suburban services of the railways had been suspended from March 25 due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.
Earlier, railways had stopped bookings for all regular trains from April 14.
(With PTI inputs)