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NEW DELHI: The Railways has operated 642 special Shramik trains since May 1, transporting eight Lakh migrant workers to their homes who were stranded in various parts of the country due to the blockade caused by the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday.
Of these, Uttar Pradesh received the maximum number of trains (301), followed by Bihar (169), they said.
Among other states, Madhya Pradesh received 53 trains, Jharkhand 40 trains, Odisha 38, Rajasthan 8, west of bengal 7, Chhattisgarh 6 and Uttarakhand 4 trains.
Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra each received three trains, while one train ended in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Tripura.
A proper inspection of passengers is carried out before boarding the trains, the Railways has said, adding that during the trip, passengers receive free meals and water.
As of Monday, these ‘Shramik Special ‘trains began to carry around 1,700 passengers each, rather than the previous 1,200, to transport as many workers home as possible.
While these trains initially had no stops, the Railways announced Monday that up to three stops will be allowed in the destination states.
The decision was made after several state governments made a request about it, authorities said.
Although the Railways have yet to announce the cost incurred in these special services, officials indicated that the national carrier is spending around Rs 80 lakh per service.
The Center had previously stated that the cost of services was shared at an 85:15 ratio between the Center and the states.
Since the ram Shramik Special ‘train service started, Gujarat has remained the main home state, followed by Kerala.
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh top the list of recipient states.
Previously, the Railways were criticized by the opposition parties for charging for these services.
In its guidelines, the national carrier has said that trains will travel only if they have 90 percent occupancy.
On Monday, a statement issued by the Union Interior Ministry (MHA) said the Railways will now execute 100 Shramik Specials every day to facilitate the faster movement of stranded workers.
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