Indian Railways to resume passenger train services beginning May 12

A “Shramik special” train departs from the Lokmanya Tilak (LTT) terminal in Mumbai to Basti in Uttar Pradesh. (Express photo from Pradip Das / file)

IRCTC train list, route: Nearly two months after it suspended its passenger operations in light of the coronavirus-induced blockade, the Railways announced on Sunday that it will gradually restart its passenger train operations from May 12. The decision was made a day ago at a high-level meeting of the government and states with the cabinet secretary, the sources said, adding that the final touches on the crucial move were prepared on Sunday night. In the midst of the shutdown, Railways has so far operated its freight services to transport essential goods across the country and “special Shramik” trains to transport stranded migrant workers to their home states.

So how do you plan to resume passenger services and where will everything operate?

Railways plans to gradually restart passenger train operations starting May 12, initially with 15 pairs of trains (30 return trips). These trains will run as special trains from the New Delhi station connecting Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Central Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi.

When will the reservation start and where will it be available?

The reservation to book on these trains will start at 4 pm on May 11 and will be available only on the IRCTC website (https://www.irctc.co.in/). Ticket reservation counters at railway stations will remain closed and no counter tickets (including platform tickets) will be issued. Only passengers with confirmed valid tickets will be able to enter the railway stations. Passengers will be required to wear a face cover and undergo a check-out, and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train.

Details, including the train schedule, will be issued separately in due course.

Are they separate from the Shramik specials and will there be more trains?

The railways will begin more special services on new routes, based on the available coaches after reserving 20,000 coaches for the Covid-19 service centers and an adequate number of coaches will be reserved to allow the operation of up to 300 trains every day as’ Special Shramik ‘for stranded migrants. Existing “Shramik special” trains will continue to operate under the current system at the request of interested state governments.

Will you be there for a concession? How much will a ticket cost?

No concessions will be allowed on the trains. The fares for these trains will be those of the Rajdhani trains, which means that they will all be air-conditioned trains and will be available at premium rates.

Indeed, these special trains are Rajdhani Express trains. All AC and in terms of premium rates. @IndianExpress

– Avishek Dastidar (@avishekgd) May 10, 2020

With contributions from Avishek Dastidar

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