Train services in Kashmir resumed on Monday, 22 February after over eleven months, which was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trains between Baramulla and Binhal areas of the Kashmir valley have been restored tweeted the Ministry of Railways, adding that this move will boost movement and tourism in the state.
Officials said that so far, nearly 1,100 people travelled between Banihal and Baramulla railway stations on Monday, according to PTI.
The trains were suspended earlier after the abrogation of Article 370 up until January 2020, only to be suspended again in March.
Services have partially resumed now in the two routes, while following COVID-19 norms like mandatory wearing of masks and maintaining social distance. The passengers were initially happy with the development, however, it comes with an unprecedented fare hike.
Unprecedented Fare Hike
Ticket prices have increased by over 200 percent, just as the people in Kashmir have been grappling with the toll tax hike in wake of the FASTag implementation.
A passenger taking the train spoke to The Quint, saying, “The train services proved to be beneficial for us but the abrupt spike has caused huge disappointment and it's proving to be costly for us. For a trip to Srinagar they have spiked it to 200% abruptly, this is a huge disappointment.”
Rafaqat Hussain, a Kashmiri student and a regular traveller said, “The uncertain spike is similar to what Jio did in the past. They started with lower rates and hiked it suddenly. The Northern Railways did the same right now. We request higher officials to consider our problems and lower the rates.”
Nisar Ahmad, another passenger who boarded the train, was initially happy about the train services starting again but felt hugely disappointed by the spike.
So far, there has been no official notice on when the trains will resume all its operations.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)