In a bid to avoid overcrowding amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, the Central Railway (CR) and the Western Railway (WR) have stopped the sale of platform at several railway stations including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.
Sale of platform tickets have been put to halt at six long-distance train stations from immediate effect to avoid unnecessary rush in view of Covid-19, an official said on Friday.
Central Railway chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said besides Mumbai CSMT, they have stopped issuing platform tickets at LTT, Kalyan, Thane, Dadar and Panvel stations from where long-distance trains operate. He said the decision has been taken to avoid unnecessary rush at these stations.
“The decision has been taken to avoid unnecessary crowding and ensuring social distancing at stations during the current summer rush,†Sutar said.
The Western Railway also stopped the sale of platform tickets at few railway stations in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam division amid surge in Covid-19 cases in the state. Passengers with valid train tickets will only to allowed on the stations, tweeted Vineet Gupta, DRM Ratlam.
“In view of the spread of Covid-19, platform tickets are being banned at all stations of Ratlam division with immediate effect to control the rush of passengers on the platform. Only passengers with valid tickets will be admitted at all the stations,†he said.
The Railways also dubbed several videos and pictures of overcrowding at railway stations as fake.
Earlier last month, the Central Railway had increased the price of platform tickets to Rs 50 from 10 at some key stations in Maharashtra to avoid crowding in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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