All Regular Train Tickets Till 12 August Cancelled As COVID-19 Cases Rise

On Thursday, the Indian Railways Board said that all regular mail, express and passenger services as well as suburban trains have been cancelled till 12 August 2020. Only special trains that were announced in May and June will run, it said.

Earlier, regular train services were cancelled till 30 June.

"All tickets booked for the regular timetabled trains for journey date from 01.07.20 to 12.08.20 also stand cancelled. Full refund will be generated," the Railway Board order stated.

According to a CNBC-TV18 report citing sources, the extension in discontinuation of regular railway services that started on 25 March-the day the total nationwide lockdown began-was decided considering the increase in the number of coronavirus infection cases in the country.

Special trains, that is, 12 pairs on the Rajdhani routes that started on 12 May and 100 pairs of trains operating since 1 June, will continue to operate.

The limited special suburban services in Mumbai, which began recently to transport essential services personnel identified by the Maharashtra government will also continue to run, the officials said.

Before the lockdown, the Railways operated around 12,000 trains every day, transporting 2 crore people.