BHUBANESWAR: With the Indian Railways announcing to suspend the operation of all passenger-carrying trains till March 31 mid-night, services of 270 trains originating and plying through the East Coast Railway (ECoR) will remain cancelled.
Along with the 66 Express and 100 passenger trains originating from the stations under ECoR jurisdiction, 104 trains that pass through it have been cancelled. Four other trains have been rescheduled as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
While 2.7 lakh passengers, including 20 per cent reserved and the rest un-reserved, travel through the zonal railway, the railways will lose around Rs 4.58 crore daily. The ECoR had cancelled several pairs of trains as the number of passengers dropped following cancellation of tickets owing to coronavirus threat.
"For trains cancelled by Railways for journey period from March 21 to June 21, refund across counters can be taken on submission of tickets up to three months from the date of journey. Moreover, in case of trains cancelled by Railways, there is also no requirement of filling ticket deposit receipt (TDR)," said an official. The passengers have been advised to avail the extended period facility of refund and avoid rushing to railway stations immediately in order to prevent the spread of virus.