Indian Railways to add more special trains for stranded passengers, says Centre

As India enters Unlock 4, the Indian Railway has announced that it is planning more special trains to bring back passengers to their states amid the coronavirus pandemic. The ministry also said that the state governments are being consulted regarding the same. The regular train services were cancelled on March 25 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Later, the IRCTC suspended all the train services on April 15 as it started limited special trains for migrant labourers and stranded Indians across the country. Around 30 Rajdhani-like air-conditioned trains started initially after which the Indian Railways added 200 more special trains that started its services on June 1. The Indian Railways, last month, asserted that it had no plans to resume the passenger trains and it will remain suspended “until further notice”. Currently, the Indian Railways has 230 ‘Shramik’ special trains which will continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the local and suburban trains have been suspended, barring only Mumbai where the local trains are considered the lifeline. The Railway Ministry had also noted that Mumbai trains are currently operating on a limited basis only on the requisition of the state government. Also Read | From Mission Karmayogi to J&K Official Languages Bill 2020, here are key decisions taken by Union Cabinet It is pertinent to mention that under the guidelines of Unlock 4, the Centre has allowed metro rail services “in a graded manner” across cities from September 7. -PTC News