IRCTC asks passengers to not cancel tickets, will receive refund automatically

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has asked the people to not cancel the tickets booked online for trains that have been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The rail corporation assured that the passengers will get a full refund for these tickets automatically.

IRCTC in its statement said that doubts have been raised regarding cancellation of e-tickets subsequent to the halting of railway passenger trains.

"No cancellation required on the part of user. If user cancels his ticket, there are chances he may get less refund. Hence, passengers are advised not to cancel e-tickets on their own for those trains which have been cancelled by railways," it said.

The statement said that the amount of refund would be credited in the user account for the booking of e-tickets automatically. It also added that no charges are deducted by the Railways in case of train cancellation.

All the trains have been cancelled till April 14 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced lockdown in the country owing to the COVID-19 outbreak.

*ADVICE TO THE PASSENGERS ON CANCELLATION OF E-TICKETS* pic.twitter.com/vKR8dZWjLG

— IRCTC (@IRCTCofficial) March 25, 2020

As for the passengers who have booked tickets from the ticket window, they also don't need to worry. The rail corporation has shared that the refund for these can be collected anytime in the coming three months. The passengers have been assured that they will receive a complete refund and no cancellation fee will be levied. Railways has also appealed to the people to maintain social distance and not to panic. 

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a countrywide lockdown for 21 days starting from midnight on March 25, people in parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai were seen panic shopping. This resulted in crowding at markets and shops to stock up essential products. 

Maharashtra has the most number of nCOVID-19 cases with 125 people being tested positive. The government and civic officials are taking measures to curb the spread of the virus.