Indian Railways to restart passenger train from tomorrow: When and how to book tickets

New Delhi, May 11: The Indian Railways is planning to gradually restart passenger train operations from May 12.

Initially, all air-conditioned services will begin on 15 Rajdhani routes and the fare would be equivalent to that of the super-fast train.

The special trains will run from New Delhi to Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi.

Unlike Shramik Specials, in which only 54 passengers were allowed in every coach instead of the regular 72, these trains will run on full capacity, but no concession in fare is likely to be allowed.

Indian Railways to restart passenger train from tomorrow: All you need to know

• Booking for reservation in these trains will start at 4 pm on May 11 and will be available only on the IRCTC website.
• Ticket booking counters at railway stations will remain closed and no counter tickets (including platform tickets) will be issued.
• Booking of tickets through agents (both IRCTC and railway) is not allowed.
• These tickets would have details of the 'dos and don'ts' passengers need to follow -- such as arriving at the station at least an hour in advance for screening.
• It is mandatory to use of masks and the Aarogya Setu mobile app.
• It will be mandatory for travellers to wear face cover and undergo screening at departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the trains.
• There would be no provision of 'tatkal' and 'premium tatkal' accommodation.
• There will be very few stoppages during the journey.
• No 'current booking' will be allowed.
• Passengers travelling in these trains may not be given blankets and linen to reduce the chances of the spread of coronavirus.
• There will be special norms for the air-conditioning inside the coaches and temperatures will be kept slightly higher than the usual and maximum supply of only fresh air will be ensured.