New Delhi, May 13: The Indian Railways has so far operated 542 'Shramik Special' trains and has transported over 6.48 lakh passengers stranded across the country till May 12, 2020. In these Shramik Special trains, proper screening of passengers is ensured before boarding the train. During the journey, passengers are given free meals and water. Passengers have to be screened by the sending states and only those found asymptomatic would be allowed to travel. On May 1, the Railways announced to run 'Shramik Special' trains to ferry stranded labourers, pilgrims, tourists and students following demands of the state governments to run special trains. Shramik Special Trains: MHA Issues Standard Operating Protocol for Movement of Migrants by Trains.

According to an official release, as on May 12, a total of 542 “Shramik Special” trains have been operationalized from various states across the country, in which 448 trains had reached its destination and 94 trains are in transit. The special trains have ferried migrants to cities like Tiruchchirappalli, Titlagarh, Barauni, Khandwa, Jagannathpur, Khurda Road, Prayagraj, Chhapra, Balia, Gaya, Purnia, Varanasi, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Jaunpur, Hatia, Basti, Katihar, Danapur,Muzzaffarpur, Saharsa etc. Indian Railways to Conduct Health Screening of All Passengers at Stations Prior to Boarding in Trains, RPF Says 'Data of Travelers Will be Sent to State Governments'.

The Indian Railways shared details of the Shramik Special trains and said the 448 trains were terminated in various states like Andhra Pradesh (1 Train), Bihar (117 Trains), Chattisgarh (1 Train), Himachal Pradesh (1 Train), Jharkhand (27 Trains), Karnataka (1 Train), Madhya Pradesh (38 Trains), Maharashtra (3 Trains), Odisha (29 Trains), Rajasthan(4 Trains), Tamil Nadu (1 Train), Telangana(2 Trains), Uttar Pradesh (221 Trains), West Bengal(2 Trains).

 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the railways had suspended passenger, mail and express trains as nationwide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24. On May 11, the Indian Railways announced that the Shramik Special trains will now have three stoppages on its route and the will run with full capacity. The announcement came a day after the Indian Railways announced to run 15 pair of air conditioned trains from New Delhi to several cities from May 12.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2020 09:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).