May 22,2020 [4:20 PM]
The Ministry of Railways released a list of 200 special trains on 20 May. These are scheduled to restart service from 1st June.The special trains include Duronto Express, Poorva Express, Jan Shatabdi, Sampark Krantis and many more. Both AC and non-AC classes, as well as fully reserved coaches, are open for booking.
Bookings for tickets to the special trains opened at 10 AM of 21 May. Only online bookings are entertained at the moment. Prospective passengers can log in to the website of IRCTC or the application of the same to confirm tickets. They are requested not to gather at the railway stations or anywhere relevant, as offline bookings are not permitted, in light of the present predicament.
Advance reservation period shall not exceed 30 days. There are no unreserved coaches in the trains listed. No unreserved tickets will be issued, and none will be made available to passengers on board. So, people without confirmed e-tickets should refrain from boarding. Neither tatkal nor premium tatkal booking will be permitted. Though waitlists will be published, none are encouraged to come to the stations or board the trains until and unless they have confirmed e-tickets. Second Seating (2S) shall be charged, for General Reserved coaches.
Earlier, Railway Minister, Piyush Gopal tweeted that 200 special Shramik trains can run daily to transport stranded migrants to their respective states. The Ministry has recently released another piece of news declaring that 400, instead of the earlier 200 special Shramik trains will be utilised to ferry migrants. Since May 1, Shramik trains have helped over 22 lakh migrants reach home.
May 20,2020 [4:20 PM]
MHA Published New Guidelines To Be Followed While Travelling Via Special Trains
On May 12, 2020, Indian Railways resumed operation of 15 different passenger trains. These special trains are arranged to run from New Delhi to some major stations such as Jammu Tawi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai Central, Madgaon, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Bengaluru, Secunderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Bilaspur, Patna, Howrah, Agartala and Dibrugarh.
Though the Ministry had made known that tickets will be available from 4 PM at the IRCTC website, the said website failed to cater to the prospective passengers, until 6 PM of the same day, due to heavy traffic.
Even though necessary travels are allowed, it comes with a set of strict rules and regulations. Passengers are expected to comply with the Standard Operating System (SOP), issued by the Home Minister -
1. Passengers should install the Aarogya Setu application in their mobile phones.
2. They should reach their respective stations 90 minutes prior to the departing time.
3. Only those with confirmed e-tickets are allowed in the stations.
4. Screening is mandatory for each and every passenger.
5. If a passenger is found showing symptoms of COVID-19, he/she will not be allowed to board the train, despite having confirmed e-ticket.
6. All have to make use of face masks and covers.
7. Social distancing must be maintained, at the stations and in the trains as well.
8. Passengers should bring their own food items, bedsheets and blankets. None are made available by the Railways. However, packaged snacks can be bought from the catering service on board.
9. Sanitisers are provided at the stations and coaches.
Passengers have to adhere to the protocols prescribed by the Government of India, to avoid transmission of the virus.
May 11,2020 [4:20 PM]
15 Passenger Trains From Delhi to Resume Operation from May 12; Get Details HereAfter nearly two months of hiatus, the Ministry of Indian Railways announced on Sunday, May 10 2020, that Indian Railways will finally resume operation of 15 pairs of passenger trains from May 12, 2020. These trains will start from Delhi railway station and will connect to other major stations- Ahmedabad, Mumbai Central, Dibrugarh, Agartala, Jammu Tawi, Madgaon, Ranchi, Bhubaneshwar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Howrah,
Secunderabad, Patna, Thiruvananthapuram and Bilaspur.
One can book tickets only at the IRCTC website. Bookings will open from 4:00 PM, May 11, 2020. Due to the prevailing situation, offline bookings will not be entertained at present and in the following weeks to come.
These trains will, however, serve as special trains with certain terms and conditions. One of which is that they are all air-conditioned Rajdhani Trains, with premium fares. Apart from passengers with confirmed bookings, others will not be entertained in the various stations. Face masks and covers will be mandatory for each and every passenger, and all have to undergo proper screening. Passengers with COVID-19 symptoms will not be allowed to board trains, even though he/she has confirmed a ticket.
The Ministry further states that they will resume trains on other routes, based on the availability of coaches. Certain trains have been in operation amidst nationwide lockdowns such as those transporting essential goods to various parts of the country, the ‘Special Shramik’ which carries stranded migrants and another 20000 coaches that are reserved for COVID-19 care centres. Further details and updates will be issued later in due course of time.