New Delhi: The Indian Railway Catering And Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a PSU of the Ministry of Railways, is ready to restart the operation of the Tejas Express trains to meet the increasing demand of passengers due to the holiday season. The Lucknow-New Delhi and Ahmedabad-Mumbai Tejas Express trains were suspended since March 19 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Both trains are expected to resume operations from October 17.
The IRCTC has conducted an extensive training program to educate and train its team of Tejas Trains employees to manage train operations and provide services in accordance with the ‘new normal’ amid the Covid-19 pandemic. A Standard Operating Procedure has been issued that observes the Covid-19 protocol to ensure the safety of passengers.
1) All substitute seats will remain vacant following the rules of social distancing for the initial period.
2) Passengers will not be allowed to change their seats once seated.
3) The use of covers / face masks will be mandatory for passengers and staff.
4) All travelers will install the “Arogya Setu” application and it will be displayed when requested.
5) Detailed instructions will be given to passengers when booking tickets.
6) All passengers will be provided with a Covid-19 protection kit that will contain a bottle of hand sanitizer, a mask, a face shield and a pair of gloves.
7) All passengers will go through a thermal screening and hand sanitization process prior to entering the bus.
8) The coach, including pantry areas and toilets, will be thoroughly disinfected at regular intervals.
9) The luggage and the luggage of the passengers will be disinfected by a staff assigned for this purpose.
10) Periodic cleaning and disinfection of the surface that is frequently touched inside the coach will be carried out. Serving trays and carts will also be disinfected.
Reservations for the trains will open shortly on IRCTC’s e-ticket website www.irctc.co.in and on the IRCTC Rail Connect app.
The IRCTC started the operation of its first corporate train, the Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow IRCTC Tejas Express Train No. 82501/02 on October 4 last year, while the Ahmedabad – Mumbai – Ahmedabad IRCTC Tejas Express Train No. 82901 / 02 hit the tracks on January 19 of this year.
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