Covid-19 2.0: Migrant crisis returns! Indian Railways steps up special services

The Railways will continue to run special trains as per the demand on routes and make all efforts to ensure that passengers travel without any inconvenience.

In view of the rapidly growing coronavirus pandemic and migrant crisis, the Railways has stepped up operations of special trains, including mail/express trains, passenger trains and suburban trains, for the convenience of passengers.

At present, the Indian Railways is running 1,512 mail/express and festival specials, on an average per day, up from the 1,490 such services last week.

With Delhi undergoing a six-day lockdown and migrant workers queuing up to return their hometowns, the national transporter has announced three more special trains from Delhi to Bihar. These are from Delhi to Darbhanga, Anand Vihar to Sitamarhi and New Delhi to Gaya.

While 53 special train services are being run from Northern Railway (Delhi area), 41 special trains are operational from Central Railway and 5 special train services from Western Railway daily to various destinations across the country.

Additional trains are already being run during April-May 2021 as summer special trains while 981 passenger train services are also operational. A total of 5,387 suburban train services and 981 passenger train services are also operational.

The Railways will continue to run special trains as per the demand on routes and make all efforts to ensure that passengers travel without any inconvenience.

Meanwhile, a request letter for transportation of liquid medical oxygen from Rourkela, Bokaro to Bhopal has been given by the Madhya Pradesh government. A second oxygen special train carrying around 7-8 empty tankers to Bokaro and back will start on April 21 from Lucknow with more planned in coming days.