Railways' Clarification On Resumption Of Train Services, Ticket Bookings

The 21-day lockdown is meant to come to an end on 15th April, which would mean that all services and work will resume including Railway services. But since there has been a steady rise in the number of positive COVID-19 cases it is unlikely that railways will resume services by April 15.

Dibrugarh: Railway technicians modify a train coach into an isolation ward for the treatment of COVID-19 affected patients, at Dibrugarh railway station. PIC/PTI

New Delhi: The 21-day lockdown is meant to come to an end on 15^th April, which would mean that all services and work will resume including Railway services. But since there has been a steady rise in the number of positive COVID-19 cases every day all over India, it seems unlikely that the state will lift the lockdown in one go. Since the announcement of the lockdown, the Indian Railways had suspended all passenger, mail & express train to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. To transport essential goods to different parts of the country parcel & freight trains were functioning. Odisha & Punjab are the two states that have extended the lockdown to curb the spread of the virus so far. Prime Minister Modi will be speaking with Chief Ministers to come up with a final action plan regarding the lockdown today. This decision will also finalize how the railways will now function. The lockdown cannot be lifted all together as the spread of the virus is not under control. According to a report by IANS, it was said that it is premature to speculate about the norms of resumption of passenger services at this stage. "Railways would take best feasible decisions and in the interest of all stakeholders including the prospective passengers," it said, adding that all concerned are requested that not to be guided by the rumours or misleading reports in some section of media. The government is considering various exit strategies to plan the movement of trains, whether marking different zones or running limited passenger trains to help daily wage earners who are stranded. However, a protocol has not been decided and is still awaited from the Ministry of Railway that will shed some light on the travel post lockdown period.  The government has asked people not to believe in false reports about different strategies that are being reported by a different section of the media. With the number of positive cases 6,565 and 239 deaths (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data)  in the country so far it is highly unlikely that the government will lift the lockdown on April 15^th.