Railways to chug again from May 12 with 15 trains Booking set to resume on IRCTC website from 4 pm today
Indian Railways plans to gradually restart passenger train operations from May 12 with 15 pairs of trains, with booking set to resume on the IRCTC website from May 11 at 4 pm.
These trains will be run as special trains from New Delhi to Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi, the government said in a statement.
Railways will start more special services but it will be based on the availability of coaches since 20,000 coaches are reserved for Covid-19 care centres and an adequate number of coaches are needed everyday for “Shramik Special” trains for stranded migrants, said the statement.
“Ticket booking counters at the railway stations shall remain closed and no counter tickets (including platform tickets) shall be issued. Only passengers with valid confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway stations,” the statement said.
However, passengers have to wear face cover and undergo screening at departure. Only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train.
The railways suspended passenger and suburban railway services on March 23, halting operation of over 13,500 trains across the country to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Subsequently, the Railways allowed goods trains to transport essential commodities. On May 1, it began operating “Shramik Special” trains to ferry stranded people.
