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Southern Railway (SR) has cancelled 12 regular trains and 18 special trains due to low occupancy and ‘commercial demand’ due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The number of cancellations vary for each train and number of trips, says a press release.
“There has been a sharp fall in the number of passengers travelling by train, and this trend is likely to continue for the next few days,” said a senior Southern Railway officer. “We don’t have a choice but to cancel the trains,” he added.
The cancellations could lead to a mad rush to long-distance buses.
Meanwhile, to reduce the number of people who come to receive or see off the travellers in stations, the Chennai division of the SR on Tuesday increased the rate of platform tickets at Dr MGR Chennai Central; Chennai Egmore and Tambaram Railway stations by five times to ₹50 with immediate effect. The hiked price, which will be valid till March 31, was based on various advisories issued by the Centre to avoid non-essential travel and mass gathering, says a press release.
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