India cancels all passenger trains till April 14 in the wake of Coronavirus pandemic

• There are over 12,500 passenger trains in India. Passengers will be offered full refunds for tickets booked through April 14.
• Freight operations will continue unaffected.
• Follow the comprehensive coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact, and other useful resources that can help you in the fight on Business Insider India.

The Indian government has announced cancellation of all passenger trains till April 14 to combat the spread of Coronavirus. The directive comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to control the spread of Coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier, the government had cancelled the trains till March 31 and now has extended it to April 14. The Indian Railways has said that passengers of cancelled trains can claim full refund till June 26.

“In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of COVID-19, it has been decided that the cancellation of all passenger train services on Indian Railways including premium trains, Mail/Express trains, Passenger Trains, Suburban trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall be extended till 2400 hours of 14.04.2020,”, the statement issued by the Ministry of Railways said.

Freight trains will continue to operate unaffected. Parcel and luggage booking counters will also be closed till April 14.

E-ticketing facility for booking of tickets after April 14 will be available online.

The cancellation of all passenger trains is a significant announcement. Earlier, the Indian Railways had urged passengers to avoid train travel and postpone all journeys.

This caused PM Modi to urge people to avoid train travel. “It’s not only important to be home but also remain in the town/ city where you are. Unnecessary travels will not help you or others,” he said in a tweet.

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