Lockdown 4.0: Railways To Run 200 Non-AC Passenger Trains From June 1

NEW DELHI: Indian Railways will run 200 special passenger trains from June 1. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted that "Indian Railways will run 200 non-AC trains daily as per the time table from June 1, whose online booking will start soon." The detailson about the trains will be available soon.

Only online booking of the tickets is available and no tickets will be sold at any railway station. Railways had cancelled all its regular passenger services till June 20. The decision of re-starting the services comes days after the government announced the resumption of public transport services in the fourth phase of lockdown. The centre gave permission for the movement of interstate and intrastate buses and other public transport.

Ministry of Railways tweeted that, "Indian Railways continue to operate Shramik Special Trains. So far, about 21.5 lakh workers have been transported to their places through a total of 1600 trains. Giving a big relief to the workers, Indian Railways is going to operate another 200 special trains".

On Tuesday, the centre also revised the SOP for the railways to run the Shramik Special trains. The railways said that "Efforts will be made such that migrants will be able to board trains from Railway Station Head on mainline which is close to their existing location."

A railway ministry circular on May 2 said, " The consent of receiving state shall be obtained by originating state and a copy provided to railways before departure of the train." Some states denied permission for the special trains carrying migrants stating that the Coronavirus infections may increase.

A week ago, Railway issued an order stating that it would begin issuing waitlisted tickets from May 22; not just to the 15 existing trains but also to those that will be notified in due course of time.

Also Read: Lockdown Violation: Migrants Fighting For Food At A Railway Station