Covid-19: Indian Railways cancel slew of premium trains till further advice

They cited poor patronisation and the Covid-19 surge behind the decision

Railway workers spray disinfectant on Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express. Credit: PTI Photo

With several states announcing lockdown to check the spread of Covid-19, Indian Railways has started cancelling trains, including Rajdhani and Shatabdi, in some routes due to poor occupancy.

The Northern Railways on Thursday announced the cancellation of 28 pair of trains including Vande Bharat Shatabdi, Duronto, Rajdhani Expresses till further orders.

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New Delhi- Bhopal Shatabdi, New Delhi- Kalka, New Delhi -Amritsar Shatabdi, Nizamuddin-Pune Duronto, Nizamuddin-Chennai Rajdhani Express, New Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express have been cancelled.

The Railways also cancelled some of the long-distance mail and express trains due to poor occupancy.

On Wednesday, the Eastern Railways had cancelled 17 trains from May 7 including Howrah–Ranchi Special trains.

Earlier, the South Western Railways also cancelled around 23 trains due to poor occupancy.

Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma had earlier said that Railways continue to operate train services to cater to the needs of passengers.

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