Photos: A long wait at New Delhi Railway Station for journeys, refunds
Updated On May 29, 2020 11:48 PM IST
The Indian Railways resumed the process of booking physical tickets at some of its counters in Delhi on May 22. The ticket booking and cancellation counters at the New Delhi Railway Station have since tuned host to long queues of people waiting to get tickets out of the city towards homes in other states or refunds of previous tickets to help with the financial strains of staying on in the capital. There are also those camping outside the station, with tickets booked but for dates well into June.
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Updated on May 29, 2020 11:48 PM IST
People in a queue for ticket bookings at New Delhi Railway Staton (NDLS) on May 26. Ever since May 22, when the railways allowed the resumption of physical ticket booking at some counters in the city, people have been facing difficulties in finding seats to travel when they reach booking counters or when they head for refunds of previous bookings. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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Vijay Vishwakarma, a factory worker from Mangolpuri who was allegedly kicked out of his home for not paying rent, landed at the railway station on May 28. “I thought I would immediately find a train to Pratapgarh, but the ticket is for June 2. My wife and I plan to stay here till then since we don’t have a home anymore,” Vishwakarma told HT. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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A police personnel ensures social distancing as people wait to reach the front of the queue at a ticketing counter at NDLS. Tickets that are being booked at the counters are for journeys beginning June 1—when 100 pairs of trains will begin service from Delhi stations. People can cancel all tickets booked before and during the lockdown. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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Deepak Kumar, the chief spokesperson of Northern Railways, told HT that the rush is likely to slow in June once additional trains commence. But the queues at the booking counter are leading to more people cancelling tickets than booking them. And that, Kumar said, is leading to people not getting their refunds. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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People hold up railway tickets they’d brought for refunds at New Delhi Railway Station on May 28. For many, the refund amount is substantial and their key to survival for the next few days. The railway spokesperson acknowledged the problem of shortage of cash and said the problem was on its way to being solved. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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Vijay Prasad (C) with family at NDLS on May 28. Here from Bahadurgarh in Haryana, the family had been waiting outside the reservation counter for over 24 hours. Lacking the money to book tickets for the entire family to their home in Bihar’s Bettiah or hopes of a confirmed ticket, they planned to stay put until a solution emerged. (Raj K Raj / HT Photo)
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Updated on May 29, 2020 11:48 PM IST