E-Paper
Railways non-AC passenger service starts on June 1: Read for all available information
This could be the beginning of the gradual resumption of railways full passenger service.
Railway minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday announced part-resumption of regular passenger rail service with 200 non-air conditioned trains restarting operation from June 1 as per the existing time-table. Goyal’s announcement is music to the ears of hundreds of thousands of people who have not been able to undertake important long journeys ever since the national transporter suspended its regular services on March 22, three days before the first phase of the national lockdown was announced. The non-AC train service will be in addition to the Shramik Specials being run for transporting migrant workers and the special Rajdhani service being run on 15 routes. While railways is yet to come out with detailed nitty-gritty’s in the form of a standard operating procedure governing this service, we bring you every piece of relevant information available.
1. The non-AC trains will start operation from June 1
2. 200 trains will be operated daily as per the existing railway time-table
3. The schedule and the list of train service to resume operation will be announced soon
4. Booking for these trains will only be possible online and not through the reservation counters run by IRCTC or ticket windows at the railway station
5. No tickets including platform ticket will be sold at the railway stations, therefore, prospective passengers are advised by railways not to head to the railway stations for the purpose of buying tickets.
6. These train services will be in addition to the Shramik specials and special Rajdhani service that is currently in operation.
7. The railways is yet to announce any criteria for travel on these non-AC trains.
8. Fares and destinations covered by these services are yet to be disclosed by the railways.
9. Fresh booking will have to be made for these trains and tickets booked previously even on the same route will not be applicable as railways have cancelled all journey tickets issued till June 30.
10. The railways is likely to enforce physical distancing like being applied currently for travel on Shramik and Rajdhani specials.
11. All passengers are likely to be screened and only those found asymptomatic for coronavirus may be allowed even on the non-AC service.
12. Anyone not allowed to board the train because of Covid-19 symptoms will likely be issued full refund.
13. Online cancellation likely to be permitted up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure of the train, as is the case with the special Rajdhani service currently in operation.
14. The railways might consider issuing some wait-listed tickets for the non-AC service, too, following the decision to issue around 100 waitlisted tickets for the special air-conditioned service.
