Railways cancels intra-state tickets within Maharashtra, cites inter-district travel ban

On Thursday, the Ministry of Railways announced the cancellation of the tickets of passengers whose originating as well as terminating stations fall within Maharashtra. This decision was taken by the Railway Board after the Maharashtra government brought to its notice that inter-district travel was prohibited in the state as per the lockdown guidelines. Moreover, a full refund without the deduction of cancellation charges would be provided. The affected passengers shall be informed about this via an SMS saying- 'Due to restrictions imposed by Maharashtra Government for travel within the state of Maharashtra by train, your ticket has been cancelled and full refund shall be given'. The Railway Board added that intra-state booking within Maharashtra should not be permitted until further orders.  

Read: MHA Issues Revised SOP On Stranded Migrants' Movement By Shramik Trains; Seeks Cooperation

200 new train services from June 1

The Railways Ministry commenced the booking for the 200 new passenger train services from 10 am earlier in the day. To be operational from June 1, these trains shall supplement the Shramik Special trains and special AC trains being run so far. These trains having both AC and non-AC shall be fully reserved. The booking can only be done through the IRCTC website or through the mobile app. No tickets will be sold at the reservation counter on any station. Furthermore, all passengers must download and use the Aarogya Setu app. While provision for prepaid meal booking and e-catering shall be disabled, limited eatables and packaged drinking water on payment basis would be available in select trains. The passengers shall adhere to health protocols prescribed by the destination state or Union Territory. 

Read: FM Sitharaman Slams Cong Over 'migrant-bus' Row; Points '300 Trains To UP, 7 To C'garh'

Piyush Goyal promises resumption of more trains

Addressing a press briefing on Thursday, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal revealed that over 1.4 lakh tickets had been booked in about two hours for the first set of 73 trains to commence operations from June 1. He maintained that it was a good sign that people wanted to return for work in cities. He also promised the resumption of more trains in the next few days. Mentioning that shops at railways stations were operational, Goyal reminded the passengers that only takeaway shall be permitted. Highlighting the contribution of the Railways during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said that about 30 lakh migrant workers have been transported to their destination stations via 2,050 special trains. 

Read: Railways Announces Bookings Open For 200 Trains Running From June 1: FULL List Here