Indian Railways refunds whooping Rs 1,885 cr for cancellation of services in March-May

Indian Railways has refunded Rs 1,885 crores towards the cancellation of tickets to passengers during the period between March 21 and May 31. All services were stopped due to the nationwide lockdown triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. 

READ: Mumbai Police Lauded For Helping Migrant Workers Board Train Last Minute; Watch Video

Money refunded 

Deepak Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer said, "Railways has successfully refunded Rs 1,885 crore towards cancellation of tickets to passengers during the period March 21, 2020, to May 31, 2020, on tickets booked through the online mode. The money has been transferred to the accounts from where the payment was earlier made at the time of the booking of the ticket. Due to the initiative taken by the national transporter, the passengers got their refund in time and did not face the inconvenience of visiting a PRS counter for collecting their amount." 

READ: Railways Announces 5 Intra-state Special Trains In Odisha

Shramik trains

In order to transport the migrant workers back to their states across the country, the Central government introduced 'Shramik trains', which started operations on May 1.

As of June 3, the Railways has operated 4,197 Shramik Special trains ferrying more than 58 lakh migrants across the country. The top five states or union territories from where maximum trains originated are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, stated the Indian Railways in a release.

These trains were terminated in various states across the country. The top five states where maximum trains terminated are Uttar Pradesh (1682), Bihar (1495), Jharkhand (194), Odisha (180), and West Bengal (156)," it added.

READ: Railways Begins Services Of 200 Special Trains

Complaints regarding trains

Last week, there were reports of trains being rerouted due to congestion on the tracks. Now, the Railways has stated that there are no more congestions.

However, complaints regarding lack of food, water, and other basic necessities have been highlighted multiple times by passengers, while several videos of passengers rushing to grab food packets and water bottles have surfaced online. 

READ: Railways' First Isolation Coaches Deployed For Treatment Of Coronavirus Patients In Delhi