Indian Railways Service To Start Tomorrow: How To Book Ticket Online And Special Rules You Need To Know

After nearly two months of being suspended due to coronavirus lockdown, railway service will get back to usual starting from tomorrow Tuesday, May 12. However, instead of buying a ticket at the booking counters, you can only buy it online. The online booking for railway tickets will be available on the official website of Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRTC) starting from 4 pm Monday. 

The resumption of railway services is essential as there are so many migrants who are left stranded in the big city during the lockdown. However, there will be only 15 routes unlocked. Those trains link New Delhi to other cities including Mumbai Central, Dibrugarh,  Howrah, Agartala, Bilaspur, Patna, Ranchi, Secunderabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Madgaon, Jammu Tawi and Ahmedabad. 

Due to the fear of coronavirus outbreak, there will be some new rules and regulations that every passenger need to follow while getting on board. Before booking your first train ticket after 2 months of lockdown, here are 10 things you need to know:

• The trains will run with major stoppages as usual but there will be only AC coaches instead of the premium Rajdhani trains.
• Booking tickets from the official websites of IRTC is the only way to buy tickets. The ticket counters in the railway station are still unavailable. 
• Your booking is only successful if you receive valid confirmation from the system. Please arrive at the station earlier than usual for security clearance.
• Facemasks are mandatory to all passengers when getting on trains. 
• Only those who show no symptoms of coronavirus are allowed to get on trains. The screening is required for all passengers at the train stations.
• To avoid public transmission, no blankets or linen will be provided while pantry services are also unavailable. 
• It’s unsure if senior citizens are allowed to get on trains or not. 
• The special trains for stranded migrant, Shramik Special trains, will continue to run as usual but there will be only sleeper coaches and no stoppages on the route. 
• The ministry of transportation plans to run up to 300 trains per day and there will be some special services on different routes.

Check out tips to protect yourself from infection when taking public transit

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