The Indian Railways has granted approval for the operation of 660 more trains in several zones to support the travel of the migrant workers and to clear the waiting list in original destinations with the declining number of Covid-19 cases throughout the country.
In a statement, the Indian Railways said before the pandemic, on an average 1768 mail or express trains were operated regularly and till Friday, there are 983 trains on tracks, “which is about 56% of the pre-Covid level”. The statement said, “The number of trains is being enhanced gradually as per demand and commercial justification.”
The Indian Railways statement added, “As on 01.06.2021, about 800 Mail/Express trains were in operation. During the period 01.06.2021 to 18.06.2021, approval for operating 660 additional Mail/Express trains has been given to the Zonal Railways.”
These include 552 mail and express trains along with 108 holiday special trains.
The zonal railways have been recommended to restore trains in a gradual manner, considering the local conditions, the demand for tickets, and the Covid-19 situation for the region.
Alongside, the Southern Railway also declared the restoration of several special trains, which were earlier cancelled citing poor patronage starting from the next week. From June 20 and 21, the daily specials such as Chennai Egmore-Thanjavur, Dr MGR Chennai Central-Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore-Nagercoil and Punalur-Madurai will resume, according to the Southern Railways. The Southern Railways stated, “Please continue to follow covid safety norms such as wearing of masks, social distancing and hand hygiene.”
The North Eastern Railway will also operate two pairs of summer special trains running from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur to Ernakulam in Kerala.
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