Coronavirus Lockdown 3.0: States will have to pay Indian Railways for transporting passengers

With fares fixed for Shramik Special trains to transport stranded people amidst lockdown to contain COVID-19, the Indian Railways has said that those states sending passengers have to pay a consolidated fare to the Railways.

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Since passengers can't travel without a ticket, the states sending them should take the responsibility of paying money to the Railways, the Railways said.

"As per the guidelines issued by the Indian Railways, the sending state will pay the consolidated fare to the Railways. The sending state, where the train is originating, may decide to bear this cost or take it from passengers or take it from the receiving state or may charge it to any fund. It's purely their prerogative," said an official.

Since the trains' movement is allowed purely based on the states' request, railways have no role in it. It is the states' prerogative to whom to allow to board the trains. The state government officials have to bring the passengers to board the train, said the officials.

The railway will not issue tickets to passengers. Moreover, allowing free travel would be a catastrophe as a large number of people would travel and the receiving state may not be able to handle them to accommodate in quarantine centres, said the officials.

Before allowing the passengers to board, the Railways must ensure that the details of passengers and their mobile numbers are collected so that the receiving states can track them, said the official.

Several state chief ministers have criticised the collecting of fare from railway passengers saying that this would burden migrant workers.