In an effort to ease the lockdown in the country, the Indian Railways has announced the gradual restart of passenger trains from tomorrow, 12th May. A total of 30 train journeys – 15 pairs of return trips – will run from New Delhi railway station to other cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai. These trains will be run as special trains from New Delhi station connecting Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad, and Jammu Tawi.
“Indian Railways plans to gradually restart passenger train operations from 12th May 2020… Thereafter, Indian Railways shall start more special services on new routes,” the Railway Ministry said in a statement. “It will be mandatory for the passengers to wear face cover and undergo screening at departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train.” In due time the railways will gradually restore normal routes with coaches left after reserving nearly 20,000 for COVID-19 care centers.
Booking for reservations on these trains will start from 4 pm on May 11 (Monday). Tickets can be booked only online through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website or through its mobile app. Booking of tickets through agents (both IRCTC and railway) is not allowed.
