Gone are the days where one could purchase a ticket from a counter and board a train within minutes. The way we travelled in trains is all set to change, courtesy the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, passengers have to strictly adhere to a fixed set of rules right from availing a ticket till they occupy their seats. The special train operations launched during the COVID-19 pandemic will have all passengers being compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic passengers allowed boarding the train.
According to South Central Railway (SCR), only those passengers with confirmed e-tickets will be allowed to enter the station at least 90 minutes in advance to facilitate thermal screening. The Railways has planned gradual resumption of select passenger services and already the special trains are being operated from different parts of the country to the national capital. In Hyderabad, starting from May 20, a Secunderabad-New Delhi AC superfast special train will be operated on Wednesdays and will stop at Nagpur, Bhopal and Jhansi stations.
Advertisements
Tickets can be booked online through www.irctc.co.in while one counter at the Secunderabad PRS complex and Warangal station has been opened for the facility. Only confirmed tickets can be booked. Booking of RAC/ waitlist ticket or on-board booking by ticket checking staff is not permitted.
“Cancellation of ticket is permitted only online, up to 24 hours before scheduled departure of the train. Cancellation charge will be 50 per cent of the fare. Tatkal, premium tatkal or current booking is not permitted in special trains,” said a senior official.
Special train to New Delhi reaches Secunderabad station.
Advertisements
For the first time since train services were suspended in late March as part of the national-wide lockdown, general passengers from the twin cities boarded a special train heading to New Delhi via the Secunderabad railway station, on Wednesday.
According to SCR, a Bengaluru–New Delhi special train which departed from Bengaluru on Tuesday reached Secunderabad at 7.50 am. “The entire station was cordoned off by the police force to restrict unauthorised entry of ticketless passengers”, said an official.
Passengers lined up at the Secunderabad station from 5.30 am itself. Officials said that apart from instructing passengers to wear masks, precautionary measures including physical distance, thermal screening and sanitation were taken up to ensure a safe and journey.
Advertisements
Meanwhile, the Chennai Central-New Delhi AC superfast special train which will depart Chennai Central on May 15 on Fridays and Sundays will halt at the Warangal station in both directions.