Visakhapatnam: Cancellation of reservations cost Waltair Division 6 crore

Visakhapatnam: The novel coronavirus is having a serious impact on rail users as they go for reserved ticket cancellation spree. Until two weeks ago, cancellation of reservations was only 20 to 30 per cent. But, it is expected to cross 80 to 90 per cent soon.

According to railway officials, the Waltair division made a loss of Rs 6 crore in the past two weeks. The loss has been incurred in the wake of coronavirus threat as the division rises to the occasion.

There is a tremendous demand for trains going to destinations like Tirupati, Mumbai, Shirdi and Hyderabad and the demand for these routes is always huge. Travellers heading to these cities make reservations a couple of weeks and in some cases a couple of months before.

As a preventive measure to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, hundreds of trains have already been cancelled.

A few days ago, East Coast Railway officials have further announced cancellation of special trains passing through Visakhapatnam. In view of Janata Curfew observance, Waltair Division officials made it clear that they will stop all trains originating from Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

About 14,000 reservations were cancelled per day last week. Since Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams decided to close Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala along with other frequented shrines to contain the spread of Covid-19, a large number of pilgrims were left with no other choice than to cancel their reservations to religious places.

Double-Decker train services from Visakhapatnam to Tirupati have been stopped. In line with the Janata Curfew observance, several passenger trains and express trains have been cancelled on Sunday.