Ashwini Vaishnaw in Rajya Sabha: Over 2,000 trains cancelled during Agnipath Protest

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the railway minister, told the legislature that more than 2000 trains were impacted by the Agnipath demonstrations that took place all over the nation. He said that between June 15 and June 23, 2132 trains were cancelled in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. Vaishnaw said that there is no separate data kept on the number of refunds given to passengers due to disruptions in rail service brought on by civil unrest brought on by protests like those witnessed following the introduction of the Agnipath scheme for armed forces recruiting.

"However, during the period 14.06.2022 to 30.06.2022, a total refund of approximately Rs 102.96 crore was granted on account of cancellation of trains and a loss of Rs 259.44 crore due to damage/destruction of railway assets in agitations against Agnipath scheme was incurred. All the affected train services cancelled on account of the Agnipath scheme have been restored," he said.

Amid the mass protests in several parts of the country against the recently launched Agnipath Scheme, railway properties were vandalised, torched or attacked from Bihar to Telangana.

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The worst-hit East Central Railways -- covering Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh, witnessed widespread protests.

With inputs from PTI