Indian Railways extends suspension of passenger trains till May 3

• All passenger train services on Indian Railways including Premium trains will remain suspended till May 3.
• They said the decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indian Railways has extended the suspension of its passenger services till May 3, senior officials said on Tuesday.

The railway ministry in a statement said, "In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of Covid-19 lockdown, it has been decided that all passenger train services of Indian Railways including premium trains, mail and express trains, passenger trains, suburban trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc shall continue to remain cancelled till May 3.


They said the decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the lockdown across the country will be extended till May 3 to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

"We have taken the decision keeping in view the extended lockdown period. More updates will be available shortly," the official said.

It said that to ensure essential supplies reach various parts of the country -- movement of goods and parcel trains will continue.

Pointing out towards the rules of cancellation of all passenger train tickets the ministry said, all counters for booking of rail journey tickets for reserved or unreserved travel at railway stations and outside railway station premises shall remain closed upto May 3.

The railways earlier suspended the services of over 13,600 passenger, mail and express trains as a measure to stop the spread of Covid-19 between March 24 and April 14.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi today extended the nationwide Coronavirus lockdown to May 3, saying that it is necessary to contain the virus. The decision has been announced at a time when different parts of the country from Tamil Nadu (Puthandu) to West Bengal (Poila Boisakh), from Kerala (Vishu) to Assam (Bihu), are celebrating the start of their respective new years and harvest festivals.

Modi also said India will also keep a keen eye on hotspots, possible hotspots and prevent the spread of creation of new hotspots. For the next one week, India will enforce stricter measures to contain the virus.

Some areas may be opened up in a limited way from April 20, if the risk of coronavirus seems unlikely. But the moment there is a case, even if it is just one, strict measures will be imposed again. Detailed guidelines will be released by the government tomorrow (April 15).

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