Trains Services By Indian Railways To Begin From Tomorrow

Highlights:

• Indian Railways to resume passenger train services from 12^th May 2020
• The Railways have laid some rules which will be mandatory to be followed
• The services will not open all at once but will be gradual

The Indian Railways has decided to resume the passenger trains in the country from 12^th May 2020, however it will be done gradually. The decision has come as India is less than a week away from the end of the 3^rd phase of lockdown which was imposed in the country to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

In the third lockdown, unlike the last 2 lockdowns, zones were divided and relaxations were given based on them. Now, to mitigate the spread of the novel COVID-19 Railways has put forwards certain rules and regulations which will be mandatory to be followed.

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From Tuesday, the Indian Railways will run 15 pair of trains every day. These passenger trains will run as a special train from the New Delhi Railways Station Dibrugarh, Howrah, Ranchi, Agartala, Patna, Ahmedabad, Bilaspur, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Bengaluru, Secunderabad, Mumbai Central, Thiruvananthapuram, Jammu Tawi, and Madgaon. These trains will only have a “few stoppages” as per the officials.

Also, the trains which will begin from this week will be AC (Air-Conditioned) and the fares will be on par of that Rajdhani Express said an official from the Railway Ministry.

The booking for reservations began today from 4:00 PM and passengers can only buy tickets via IRCTC website or the IRCTC mobile application (IRCTC: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation). Also, the brick and mortar booking counters which are present at the railway stations will remain closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, there will be no provision of tatkal or premium tatkal accommodation will be available.

Now let us take a look at the rules which people will have to follow:

• Passengers with a valid “confirmed” ticket will be allowed to enter the railway station
• Platform tickets will not be issued
• All travellers will have to wear a face mask and undergo screening at the railway stations
• Due to the added screening process and other protocols, it is advised to reach the station at least 1 hour in advance
• Only the passengers who are asymptomatic, meaning those who do not show any symptom of any infection of COVID-19, will be allowed to travel
• A leading news agency in India reports that passenger will not be provided with linen or blankets in order to reduce the chances of spread of COVID-19
• Temperatures will be set on the higher side and Indian Railways will ensure that maximum supply of fresh air is provided
• Pantry services will not be provided in these trains

The Indian Railways is also planning to run as many as 1,500 “shramik special” trains to transport stranded migrants in the coming weeks. Additionally, more special trains on new routes will also be opened soon based on the availability of coaches. Also, the Shramik special trains will only have sleeper coaches and will not have any stoppages from the starting point and the destination.