78 additional special trains to be run

78 additional special trains to be run

They are separate from about 200 planned for festive season: spokesperson

08/10/2020

New rides: The trains will mainly include AC Express, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Rajdhani and Shatabdis.File PhotoShanker Chakravarty

Yuthika BhargavaNEW DELHI

The Railways have decided to run 78 additional trains, taking the total number of special passenger services operational in the country to 388.

In a notification to all the zones, the Railways have asked that 39 pairs of trains, mainly AC Express, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Rajdhani and the Shatabdi services, “should be introduced as special trains from an early convenient date”.

A Railways spokesperson clarified that these trains were separate from the 200 festive passenger trains that they planned to run between October 15 and November 30 to cater to the festive season demand.

Tejas services to resume

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) announced plans to restart two corporate-run trains — the Lucknow-New Delhi Tejas Express and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express from October 17, nearly seven months after the operations were suspended owing to the pandemic.

The IRCTC said this was being done to cater to the growing passenger demand due to the festive season.

Every alternate seat would be kept vacant to ensure the social distancing norm and passengers would not be allowed to exchange their seats once seated.

Additionally, use of face covers/masks would be mandatory for passengers and staff.

“All travellers will install the ‘Arogya Setu’ app and the same will be shown as and when demanded. Detailed instructions will be given to the passengers at the time of booking of tickets,” the IRCTC said.

Protection kit for all

All passengers would be provided a ‘COVID-19 protection kit’ that would comprise a hand sanitiser, a mask, a face shield and a pair of gloves. All would go through thermal screening and hand sanitisation before entering the coach.

“On getting approval from the Ministry of Railways to restart the operation of the two popular corporate trains, IRCTC is making all-round preparations to ensure that the trains, once started, match the expectation of people in terms of levels of services and safety and health protocols amidst the ongoing pandemic,” the IRCTC stated.

The coaches, including the pantry areas and lavatories, would be thoroughly disinfected at regular intervals, along with luggage and baggage of the passengers, frequently touched surfaces inside the coach and the service trays and trolleys.

The IRCTC said it had conducted an extensive training programme to educate and train the employees of Tejas trains to manage the operations and provide services according to the ‘new normal’ amid the pandemic.