After commencing the “Shramik Special” trains from May 1, Indian Railways has crossed the milestone of ferrying more than one million passengers to their home states in less than 15 days of beginning the operation. The Indian Railways has operated 800 ‘Shramik Special’ trains till May 14.
A passenger in a Shramik Special train looks through the window as he waits for the train to depart. (Photo: PTI)
After commencing the “Shramik Special” trains from May 1, Indian Railways has crossed the milestone of ferrying more than one million passengers to their home states in less than 15 days of beginning the operation. The Indian Railways has operated 800 ‘Shramik Special’ trains till May 14.
The railways runs the train only after concurrence is given both, by the state which is sending the passengers and the state which is receiving them,” reads a communiqué issued by the railway ministry on Thursday.
The passengers are allowed to board only after proper screening at the railway station. They are also given free meals and water for the journey.
Train services were resumed subsequent to a Ministry of Home Affairs order regarding the movement of migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students, and others, who were stranded at different places due to the lockdown, by special trains. A maximum of 1,200 passengers can travel in each of these special trains.
These 800 trains have terminated in various states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. Of these Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have received the maximum number of trains.
While the railway ministry has not yet revealed the cost it incurs on running these special trains, the national transporter has said that the trains will ply only if they have 90 per cent occupancy and provided that the states make the payment for ticket fare.
