New Delhi, June 3: The Indian Railways has refunded Rs 1,885 crore towards cancellation of tickets to passengers during the period March 21 to May 31 this year on tickets booked through the online mode.

Indian Railways had suspended its regular passenger train services during the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the highly contagious Coronavirus (COVID-19) in India.

"Railways has successfully refunded Rs 1,885 crore towards cancellation of tickets to passengers during the period March 21, 2020 to May 31, 2020 on tickets booked through the online mode," Deepak Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer said in an official statement. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh Top Defaulters as 256 Shramik Special Trains Cancelled by State Governments: Indian Railways.

"The money has been transferred in the account from where the payment was earlier made at the time of the booking of the ticket. Due to the initiative taken by the national transporter, the passengers got their refund in time and did not face the inconvenience of visiting a PRS counter for collecting their amount," the statement further said.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced nationwide lockdown on March 24 which was slated to end on May 17 however, on May 14, the government extended the lockdown till May 3. On May 1, the MHA further extended the lockdown period to two weeks beyond May 4, with some relaxations.

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