New Delhi: Train passengers will be fully refunded if they cancel their tickets till April 15 as a step to avoid crowding at public places and aid social distancing, Indian Railways said on Saturday.
Passengers will also be refunded 100% if trains are cancelled between March 21 and April 15 and those who do not wish to travel on operational trains will also get their money back.
“Indian Railways relaxes refund rules for PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counter generated tickets. All rules for e-ticket remain same as the passenger does not need to come to the station for a refund of the ticket,” a railway advisory said.
The Railways also said that it will not operate any passenger train from any railway station in the country from midnight on Saturday to 10 pm on Sunday, when a janata curfew will be observed across the country.
Mail and express trains will also stop services from 4 am on Sunday, it said. All intercity trains will also remain cancelled till 10 pm on Sunday.
On Friday, Railways had cancelled 90 trains, which will not operate between March 20 and March 31, amid low occupancy and the novel coronavirus pandemic. With this, the total number of cancelled trains has climbed to 245.
The national transporter has also issued a set of guidelines to zonal headquarters for its catering staff, stating no employee having fever, cough, runny nose or difficulty in breathing “should be deployed in the business of food handling” on trains and railway premises.
The number of Covid-19 cases in India rose to 258 on Saturday after 22 fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country, the Union health ministry said.
