The COVID-19 outbreak has taken a toll on Railways with booking cancellations and a dip in passenger traffic.
Most cancellations are for mail and express trains to north India. The usually crowded passenger and inter-city trains, reservation centres, and booking offices now have fewer patrons, with commuters either skipping or postponing journeys.
Confirmed seats are available for many mail and express trains and the waiting list is thin. Group travel has almost come to a standstill. However, there are fewer cancellations to the northeast. Platforms at key stations are not very crowded any more. Many restaurants and shops are not getting revenue even for salary payment. “Daily ₹4 lakh is being refunded to commuters in the division and this will give a picture of the volume of cancellations. Passenger trains to Shatabdi trains have been hit as no one wants to take a risk,” senior divisional commercial manager Rajesh Chandran told The Hindu.
He said revenue was down by one-fourth in the last few days.
Major reasons
The alert sounded by the government, closure of educational institutions, and tourists leaving destinations en masse are the main reasons for the fall in passenger traffic and cancellations, divisional railway manager Shirish Kumar Sinha said.
Railways are hoping that the situation would improve in a couple of days and people would travel during April and May. “If the situation does not improve by month end, the earnings in the division will take a hit this year,” Mr. Sinha said.
