1.45 Lakh passengers on day 1 as 200 trains restart in the middle of the shutdown

Coronavirus, railways: 200 passenger trains to run from June 1

New Delhi:

The number of passenger trains running in the country will increase from the existing 15 pairs (30 trips) to more than 200 as of June 1, as the Railways are slowly increasing operations amid a coronavirus blockade that has been extended until June 30. Trains operating from today will include those with non-CA trainers, which have not been allowed so far.

More than 1.45 lakh people bought tickets to travel on the first day of the second stage of the resumption of passenger trains, and around 26 lakh are expected to travel in June. The full list of trains can be found here.

“These trains follow the pattern of regular trains. These are fully booked trains that have both AC and non-AC classes. General Coaches (GS) have reserved seats to accommodate. There will be no coach without reservations,” said a Railways statement.

“Normal class fares will be charged. The second seat fee (2S) will be charged for general seats (GS) and seats will be provided to all passengers,” the statement added.

Passengers have been advised to arrive at the station at least 90 minutes before departure. Only people with confirmed / RAC tickets will be able to enter the station.

According to the SOP issued by the Ministry of the Interior, all passengers must undergo a thermal control and only those who are asymptomatic will be able to board the train.

On board the train, all passengers must maintain social distance and wear face masks throughout the journey. All passengers are also recommended to use hand sanitizers.

Zonal railways have been instructed to ensure that there are separate entry and exit gates at each station, to the extent possible, so that there is no face-to-face movement of passengers.

All passengers must download Aarogya Setu, the government’s contact tracking app.

The more than 200 trains that will run since June 1 do not include special “shramik” operated by the Railways since May 1 to return stranded migrants to their home states. As of May 29, more than 52 lakh migrants had been transported on 3,840 trains, according to the railways.

Before closing, the railways operated around 12,000 trains every day.