Passenger train service will expand from existing 15 trains to more than 200 from June 1, including non-air conditioned trains.
Further, passengers are required to use sanitisers and masks and adhere to social distancing norms.
On Tuesday, the Railways informed that besides the Shramik Special trains, it would run ‘200 additional timetable trains daily from June 1, which will be non-air conditioned second class trains and booking of these trains will be available online’. The 15 trains that have been operating since May 12 are all air-conditioned. Further information on the trains will be available soon, NDTV reported.
Last week, the Railways had hinted at the move saying it would start issuing waitlisted tickets from May 22 — an order that applies not just to the 15 trains that are already running, but also ‘those that will be notified in due course of time’.
The Centre extended the countrywide lockdown for the third time. However, it lifted the bar on bus service and other public transport but left the final decision regarding implementation to the states.
In another recent development, the Centre has made it clear that to run Shramik trains, the consent of states and Union territories (UTs) would not be required any longer. The guidelines for running the ShNamik Specials, when they started on May 1, said that they would operate at the ‘request’, and with the ‘consent’, of the ‘receiving state’. It further said that there would be no stops in between.
Also Read: Odisha: Cyclone Amphan Moves Closer To Coast, Centre Told To Suspend Shramik Special Trains
