No free travel insurance in trains from September 1: Railways

New Delhi: The Indian Railways will not provide free travel insurance to its passengers starting September 1, an official said on Saturday.

A senior Railway Ministry official said that the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to stop free travel insurance starting September 1 and 'the option of free insurance will be optional'.

Travellers while booking tickets through its website or mobile application will have to choose from two options: to opt-in or opt-out of travel insurance.

He said that in a bid to promote the digital transaction, the IRCTC has been giving free travel insurance to passengers since December 2017.

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The railways had earlier also waived off ticket booking charge for users who make payments via debit cards.

The insurance provided by the IRCTC had a maximum cover of Rs 10 lakh in case of a person's death during a train journey, Rs 7.5 lakh if a person is disabled due to an accident, Rs 2 lakh if injured and Rs 10,000 for transportation of mortal remains.

The order to charge for the travel insurance will be generated in a few days.

However, the amount has not been disclosed yet.