Train Services Resume On Select Routes Albeit With Less Enthusiasm

Amid the spike in COVID-19 cases, Indian Railways would run another 80 special trains from September 12, but more or less there is silence on all platforms.

Despite the start of the services on some special routes, passengers are still avoiding rail travel. About half of the coaches of most trains are empty as the ticket booking was extremely low. According to the railway data, more than 100% of passengers have booked tickets for only two trains, while in most trains less than 50 percent seats have been booked.

According to the railway, 108 percent tickets were booked for the special train running from Indore railway station to Howrah in West Bengal. At the same time, 179 percent tickets were booked for Shramik Special train operating from Valsad station to from Muzaffarpur in Bihar. It is believed that daily workers are returning to their homes from these trains.

Similarly, passengers booked more than the capacity of the train going from Indore to Howrah, but only 15 percent booking was done for the train coming from Howrah to Indore. This means that the migrant laborers working in the industrial units in and around Indore are returning to their homes.

On the other hand, 30 percent tickets were booked in trains running from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to Karnataka and Telangana. It was believed that workers from states like Bihar, UP and West Bengal would move to other states in search of work, but this did not happen.

Railways has said that more than 50 percent seats have been booked in only three trains out of 80 on the first day of booking. Most trains are weekly or twice a week. Booking may speed up as the date of journey approaches.