Special trains: No travel allowed within Kerala, Railways to refund tickets

Train travel will not be allowed within Kerala in the special trains that run between New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram.

The trains will stop at three stations in Kerala - Ernakulam, Shornur Junction and Kozhikode apart from Thiruvananthapuram - but passengers will not be allowed to travel with in these stations, Railways informed.

This means that passengers will not be allowed to travel from one station to another in Kerala.

Only passengers travelling out of Kerala will be allowed to board from the stations in Kerala.

The Railways took the decision following a request from the state government.

The government pointed out that inter-district travel has been banned in the state ever since the imposition of lockdown, and allowing train journey at this time will affect its COVID containment plans.

The Railways will refund full ticket fare to all the passengers who reserved tickets for intra-state travel.

Railway order — Indian railway's order regarding the cancellation and refunding of intra-state tickets booked for Kerala stations.

"Passenger boarding and de-boarding with in Kerala will not be permitted in these special trains till further orders," the Railways said in a release.

The train that left New Delhi on Wednesday is expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

The train to New Delhi will leave Thiruvananthapuram Central Station on Friday.

Railways has decided to run six Rajdhani trains between Kerala and New Delhi in a week, to help those who had been stranded after the Centre enforced a lockdown.

The New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram train will run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday every week, while the return trains will operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. These trains will run via Konkan route.

Safety measures

Railways has taken plenty of measures to ensure safety of passengers. Passengers have been asked to sanitise their hands at the entry gates, wear masks and carry minimal baggage.

Only passengers with confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter railway stations. Ticket booking counters at railway stations will remain closed and no counter tickets (including platform tickets) will be issued. Ticket are available only on the IRCTC's website.

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