Indian Government has announced that Railways and Airlines will be allowed to run with certain restrictions from 15th April 2020. Passengers can begin booking trains and flights that are scheduled after 14th April, the last day of lockdown period. Complete Coverage: Coronavirus
Crux of the Matter
Lockdown to Ease after 14th April Indian Economy has almost halted due to the Lockdown. Passengers will be able to book their flight and railway tickets from 15 April as Railways and Airlines are likely to start their operations from 15 April. Railways have opened its online reservation portal so that people can book tickets in advance as per the 120-day advanced reservation period (ARP). The Union Ministry of Railways said, “the booking of reserved train tickets never stopped except for the lockdown period i.e. March 24 to April 14.”
Since there is a clear indication from the Centre that the lockdown will not be extended beyond April 14, bookings have begun. Pradeep Sharma, Public Relations Officer, Ahmedabad Division, Western Railways
Due to the lockdown, the Department of Railways has made changes in its refund policies. Now one will be able to apply for a refund till June 21. Railways being one of the largest transporters in India may not start full-fledged services given the current situation of the pandemic. As the number of coronavirus cases in India is increasing day by day and has crossed 2,000, some restrictions and strict travel advisory for the passengers is likely to stay.
Although there are no official announcements by airline companies, online bookings for private airlines such as SpiceJet, Indigo and GoAir are open for flights departing on and after 15th April.
Isolation coaches have been prepared by Indian Railways to fight the #CoronavirusPandemic; Visuals from Kamakhya Railway Station (Assam) in Northeast Frontier Railway zone. 9 patients can be accommodated in one coach. pic.twitter.com/rU0A5g39AG — ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020
Railways at Rescue Indian Railways proved to be a saviour in this time of health crisis. Railway coaches have fulfilled the shortage of medical wards in the country. Railway coaches are converted into the medical wards to keep quarantined patients. According to the government, 20,000 coaches were converted into isolation wards. Large railway networks have helped trains to supply the essential commodities across the nation during the lockdown. Indian Railway production units produced sanitizers and other essential commodities like water tanks, medical trolleys, ventilators, hospital beds, etc. 13 base kitchens of Indian railways have become the centre of distribution of food to the needy.
Curiopedia
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation – Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the latter, with around 5,50,000 to 6,00,000 bookings everyday. It is the world’s busiest and highest of 15 to 16 Lakhs tickets every day. IRCTC started running private trains, and “Tejas Express” become India’s first private train on 4th Oct 2019. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the first Tejas Express, the country’s first “private” train run by its subsidiary IRCTC, on the Lucknow-New Delhi route. More Info
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