With 32 Shramik special trains being operated from the Coimbatore Junction so far, no more special trains for migrant workers are expected for the district for the time being.
According to officials from the Salem Division of Southern Railway, over 45,000 migrant workers from the district have been transported in these Shramik special trains.
The total earnings for the Salem Division was around ₹ 4.2 crore through these trains through ticket fares, which was paid by the Coimbatore district administration.
A senior official from the district administration also confirmed to The Hindu that no special trains would be operated from the Coimbatore Junction for now.
The train services began on May 8 when the first Shramik special train was operated to Saharsa Junction in Bihar.
The last train was operated for Malda Town in West Bengal on May 29. In a span of four weeks, Salem Division operated the 32 Shramik special trains from Coimbatore Junction to nine States namely Bihar (11), Uttar Pradesh (6), Odisha (5), Jharkhand (3), Assam (2), West Bengal (2), Rajasthan (1), Madhya Pradesh (1) and Chhattisgarh (1).
In April, 32 railway coaches were converted into COVID-19 isolation wards at the Coimbatore Junction. However, as these were not used as isolation wards, the coaches were used in the Shramik special trains, the officials said.