Indian Railways rolls back prices of platform tickets to pre-COVID era rates

As India witnesses a dip in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Indian Railways on Thursday declared that the prices of platform tickets will be slashed back to pre-pandemic rates. The Indian Railways had in March, 2020 in order to minimize the footfall of people during the COVID-19 pandemic hiked prices of platform tickets.

Like earlier, platform tickets will now be available at Rs 10 again. The Indian Railways against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic had decided to hike the rates of platform tickets from Rs 10 to Rs 50 for over 250 railway stations across the country during the first quarter of the last year. The rise in the price of the tickets was made applicable at the zonal levels.

The national transporter said the increase in short-distance travel costs too was aimed at discouraging unnecessary travel during the pandemic.

"Present increase in platform ticket prices at some stations is a 'temporary' measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through crowding. This is being done at a limited number of stations which see the heavy rush," the railways had said

Central railways cut the price of platform tickets from Rs 50 to Rs 10

The Central Railways had on Wednesday, November 24 slashed the price of platform tickets to Rs 10 at the major stations including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Dadar, and others.

Earlier this year, the Mumbai division of the Central Railways had increased the price of platform tickets from Rs 10 to Rs 50 at these stations to discourage crowd gathering amid the pandemic.

Railways return to pre-pandemic fares

After reeling under immense pressure from commuters over a spike in railway fares, the Indian Railways had on November 13 announced that it will discontinue the "special" tag for mail and express trains while reverting to the pre-pandemic ticket rates with immediate effect.  

The Railways has been running only on special trains since the COVID-19-induced lockdown norms were eased. The process of shift started with long-distance trains and now, even short-distance passenger services have been commissioned as special trains with slightly higher fares.

Moreover, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has also decided to resume the service of cooked meals in Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, and Gatiman Express trains.

Previously the Indian Railways had issued orders to all its zones to withdraw blankets and curtains from AC coaches as they are not washed every day. The railway board has also instructed that the minimum temperature in the coaches be set at 24-25 degrees Celsius.

Image: PTI/REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE