For first time in India, railway passengers get ₹1.62 lakh compensation for train delay
• On October 19, the newly started Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express was late by more than 3 hours
• IRCTC had announced that if the Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express delays for over an hour, passengers will get a compensation of ₹100
In a first, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is paying ₹1.62 lakh to passengers of newly launched Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express for delays in arrival and departure. Started this month, Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express is the first train of Indian Railways which is entirely run by IRCTC.
On October 19, the newly started Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express was more three hours late. As promised by the railway subsidiary, IRCTC is paying ₹1.62 lakh as a compensation of running train late. The Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express started from Lucknow at at around 9.55 am instead of its scheduled departure at 6.10 am. On its way back, it departed from New Delhi at 5.30 pm instead of 3.35 pm. The New Delhi Lucknow-Tejas Express reached Lucknow at ₹11.30 pm instead of scheduled 10.05 pm. The Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express will run six days a week, except Tuesdays.
There were 450 passengers in the Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express while there were around 500 passengers in Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express. Earlier, IRCTC had announced, that if the Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express delays for over an hour, passengers will get a compensation of ₹100. For delay of two hours and more, passengers will receive ₹250. On October 20, the Lucknow-Delhi Tejas reached 24 minutes late.
Passengers are required to fill up a claim form with the insurance company to get the compensation. The form is available online. Passengers can also make a claim on its toll-free number. One needs to mention the details of travel, hours of delay with their PNR number and bank account details. The insurance company would transfer the compensation amount directly into the passengers' bank accounts, said IRCTC.
For the first time, IRCTC is offering a free insurance of ₹25 lakh to passengers travelling in the Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express. The insurance cover includes ₹1 lakh insurance against theft or robbery during the travel.