No passes, daily railway commuters in a fix

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, June 7

Thousands of commuters who travel daily by trains are in a fix as despite the resumption of services, they are unable to board trains as only those with confirmed or reservation against cancellation (RAC) tickets are allowed inside the railway station.

No norms on monthly tickets

Guidelines regarding monthly season tickets and unreserved travel are yet to be issued. The Railways may extend validity of passes. This shouldn’t be an issue. —Senior railway official

A majority of these commuters prefer monthly season ticket (MST) as it is a cheaper option than purchasing a ticket daily.

After the restrictions were lifted for business establishments and offices, the employees were told to resume work but the ongoing restrictions on rail travel have forced them to use personal vehicles, which is a costly affair.

Amit Goyal, the Karnal-based owner of an Ambala flour mill, says: “I have been travelling daily by car since March. Train services were stopped due to the lockdown, but mills, being an essential service, continued to run.

“A quarterly train pass costs Rs 1,635, but these are not available now and my travel cost has gone up manifold. Many with businesses in other districts are facing a similar situation,” he says.

Sonu Singh, who commutes from Kurukshetra to work in a showroom here, says: “I got my quarterly pass renewed on March 16 but after a few days, services were suspended. My pass is due to expire on June 15. There should be some relaxation for pass-holders.”

A senior railway official says: “Currently, only passengers with confirmed or RAC tickets are allowed to travel as it will be impossible to track those travelling on unreserved tickets.”