The station premises sprang to life and turned abuzz with passengers on Monday as 02793 Tirupati – Nizamabad Rayalaseema Express became the first regular train to chug out of the Tirupati railway station after a long gap.
Barricades, queue line markers and direction boards were arranged on Sunday at the lounge and platforms in a hurried manner. The train had two second AC, six third AC, eight sleeper and four second sitting coaches.
Members of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and other wings made arrangements at the station to ensure social distancing among passengers.
The queue of passengers arriving into the station was made to pass through a four-step process. After taking hand wash with sanitiser at the entrance, the passengers underwent thermal screening to get checked for symptoms of fever. After they moved out of the counters, the policemen checked them for a confirmed ticket. Finally, they were sent towards the platform with ‘Aarogya Setu’ application on their mobile phones.
Goodies to workers
TUDA Chairman and Government Whip Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy arranged essential commodities for the Hamalis(loading and unloading staff), who remained out of work for a long time during the lockdown period.
His son Chevireddy Harshith Reddy distributed rice and pulses to the workers on the railway station premises on Monday. Station Director Naga Ramana Sarma, Chief Commercial Inspector Parameswara Raju and station manager Rajendra Prasad took part.