Mass railway tickets cancellations due to Covid fears

The local railway sector is facing cash shortages after many people returned their train tickets due to the new Covid-19 outbreak.

The local railway sector is facing cash shortages after many people returned their train tickets due to the new Covid-19 outbreak.

  

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Up to 11,000 tickets were returned on February 1 alone. Of which 5,000 tickets worth VND5bn (USD216,000) were returned to Hanoi Railway Transport JSC. 6,000 tickets worth VND6bn were returned to Saigon Railway Transport JSC. From January 28 until now, over 32,000 tickets worth VND30bn have been returned.

The cancellations are the biggest in the history of the sector. Most of the tickets were return tickets for north-south trains for Tet Holiday. The railway sector’s liquidity has been badly affected and the cash is running out.

As the result, Hanoi Railway Transport JSC and Saigon Railway Transport JSC may refund customers after 90 days or allow customers to preserve the paid money for another ticket.

More tickets will be returned in the coming days as the situation may worsen even further if people decide to stop travelling.

Binh Duong Province, one of the provinces with the highest number of migrant workers, reported several community cases and asked local residents and workers to not return to their hometowns this Tet.

Plans to cut down the number of trains and carriages for Tet have already been made. The railway sector will continue to apply preventive measures to ensure public safety such as taking passengers' body temperatures, asking everyone to wash hands and wear face masks. All trains will be disinfected after each trip.