According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the latest update on Cyclone Dana suggests that a cyclonic storm is hovering over the east-central Bay of Bengal and is very likely to move northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the northwest Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 24.
The IMD said that Cyclone Dana will cross the Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island, close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara, on the interviewing night of October 24 and 25. The wind speed will be 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph. The cyclonic storm will very likely bring extremely heavy rainfall to isolated places in Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, on Thursday and Friday.
To update you, the weather department has issued an orange warning, and an alert has been sounded to several districts of Odisha and West Bengal. Train services from and to Odisha and West Bengal have been affected, and the East Coast Railways (ECoR) has suspended over 200 trains in view of Cyclone Dana.
The ECoR reportedly cancelled as many as 178 express train services, which include 85 UP trains and 93 Down Trains. In a notification issued by East Coast Railways, some trains have been cancelled for three days from October 23 to 25. The important trains which have been cancelled include Howrah-Secunderabad, Salimar-Puri, New Delhi-Bhubaneswar, Howrah-Bhubaneswar, Howrah-Puri, New Delhi-Puri, Khadagpur-Khordha, Sambalpur-Puri, Rourkela-Bhubaneswar trains.
How To Get Full Refund of Train Ticket for Cancelled or Late Running Trains
Thousands of passengers and travellers have been stranded in several cities and states and are waiting to return to their homes in Odisha and West Bengal to celebrate the festival of lights, Diwali, with their families and friends. However, due to express trains being canceled in view of Cyclone Dana, they are stuck at their workplace.
If you are one of them and want a refund on your booked e-ticket and the journey is cancelled, there are simple steps online you need to follow. You are no longer required to visit the ticket counter for your refund or to cancel the ticket.
Also Read | Cyclone Dana Impact: Kolkata Airport May Close Due to Strong Crosswinds From Cyclonic Storm.
When the train is cancelled, the refund will be automatically credited to your respective bank accounts, eliminating the need to file a Ticket Deposit Receipt (TDR). Meanwhile, if the train is delayed by more than 3 hours and the passenger decides not to travel, filing a TDR is compulsory before the train departs.
However, for the counter ticket, one needs to visit the respective counter to cancel the counter ticket. If the ticket was purchased online through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), you need to follow the procedures and steps below:
1. To file the TDR process, users must log into the IRCTC website, portal, or mobile app, click on the "my account" tab, and choose the "my transaction" option.
2. Select the "File TDR" option and cancel countertasks online.
3. Enter your Passenger Name, Record number (PNR), and train details followed by a captcha, then click the box indicating agreement with cancellation rules.
4. Click on the "Submit" button. You will then receive a One-Time Password (OTP) on your registered mobile number.
5. Enter the OTP and click on the "Submit" button. The PNR details will be displayed.
6. After verifying the PNR details, select the option to cancel the ticket. The refund amount will be displayed on the page, and a confirmation message containing PNR and refund information will be sent to the mobile number provided during booking.
The Indian Railways website provides a list of cancelled trains on its website to provide facilities to its passengers with the information of trains. Note: For the latest information on this, it is advisable to check the website.