Passenger trains free from Covid tag, fares to be pre-pandemic

Nagpur: After the Railway Board issued orders to remove the ‘special’ tag from all mail and express trains, the Central Railway on Saturday identified 206 trains and removed the special tag. Now these trains will operate with regular numbers with pre-Covid fares.

However, even as the mail and express special (MSPC) and holiday special (HSP) ‘special’ tag on almost all the trains have been removed, there is no clarity on various fare concessions to senior citizens, handicapped, disabled, students, etc which were allowed before Covid.

Central Railway chief public relations officer (CPRO) Shivaji Sutar said, “As of now, there are no instructions from the Railway Board regarding providing concessions and other benefits, but almost all the trains will charge the fares that used to be applicable pre-Covid period. All the regular time-tabled trains which are presently operating as special trains shall be operated with the regular number and with fare and categorization as applicable.”

During the last over one year after Covid, Indian Railways raked in the moolah by charging 20-30% more fare than the normal. It also saved crores by withdrawing various concessions.

Of the 206 trains from which the special tag has been removed, more than 24 trains will be to and from Nagpur and several others will be passing through. These include trains like Vidarbha and Sewagram Express to Mumbai and all trains to Pune including Garib Rath and Hamsafar.

Sutar said as part of railways’ efforts to normalize passenger services and revert back in a phased manner to the pre-Covid levels of service, the railways’ passenger reservation system (PRS) will be shut down for 6 hours during the lean business hours of the night for next seven days.

“This is to enable up-gradation of system data and updating of new train numbers etc. Since a huge amount of past (old train numbers) and current passenger booking data are to be updated in all mail and express trains, this is being planned in a series of carefully calibrated steps and implemented during night hours to minimize the impact on ticketing services,” said Sutar.

The activity will be performed starting from the intervening night of November 14 and 15 to the night of November 20 and 21 starting at 11.30 pm and ending at 5.30 am. During these 6-hour periods, no PRS services like ticket reservation, current booking, cancellation, inquiry services etc will be available.

During the period, railway personnel will ensure advance charting for the trains departing during the affected timings. Except for PRS services, all other inquiry services including 139 services will continue uninterrupted, said railway officials.

Basant Shukla, general secretary of registered passengers rail user body Bharatiya Yatri Kendra (BYK), welcomed the decision but said, “It was due to pressure from various organizations the railway ministry had to bow down. But unless all the concessions are not granted there is no meaning in restoring train numbers.”

“The railways should also start issuing bedrolls and blankets with caution. If the railways feel offering sops is still pinching, then it should withdraw privilege ticket order (PTOs) and reduce the number of free passes being given to its employees,” said Brij Bhushan Shukla, founder of Rail Yatri Sangh.

On Friday, the Indian Railways issued an order to discontinue the ‘special’ tag for mail and express trains and revert to pre-pandemic ticket prices with immediate effect. The board said the second class of such trains shall continue to run as reserved except for any relaxation permitted in a special case.

On already booked tickets in advance, no difference of fare either to be collected by the railways or any refund due to already booked passengers shall be permitted.

Ever since the Covid lockdown was eased, the Indian Railways has been running only special trains. It started with long-distance trains and now even short-distance passenger services were being run as special trains.


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