New Delhi: As Indian Railways announced on Sunday (May 10, 2020) that it would resume 15 air conditioned (AC) express trains services from May 12, it also declared that tickets can only be booked online via IRCTC website or through the Mobile App. The online booking for the trains will resume from 4 pm on Monday.
Booking tickets through agents of IRCTC or Railways will not be accepted, ticket counters at railway stations will not be opened either.
Also, there is no provision of tatkal, premium tatkal accommodation. Only advance booking of tickets will be accepted, no current booking shall be allowed.
Railway Ministry`s Executive Director, Media, Rajesh Dutt Bajpai in a statement said that it a initial phase and so only 15 trains, including their return journey, with limited stops has been resumed.
For now special AC trains from New Delhi Station to Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi will operate.
Alongwith this a list of rules like mandatory face masks and screening at departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train.
Only passengers with valid confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway stations.
The railways had suspended the passenger, mail and express train services since March 24 after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of cornavirus COVID-19.
