Day 1: Only 393 travel in Mum Duronto

Nagpur: Even as coronavirus cases are showing a marginal decline, rail passengers seem reluctant to travel. On day one, only 393 passengers travelled to Mumbai by Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express.
As part of Unlock 5.0, the state government allowed trains to operate within the state from October 1. Duronto was the first train to start from Nagpur. Of the 393 passengers, 352 travelled in sleeper class followed by 34 in AC-II and 7 in AC-II.
The coach composition of Duronto includes one AC-I, three AC-II, nine AC-III, and eight sleeper class. There are nearly 1,460 berths in these coaches. However, only 27% people travelled on the first day.
“This is a good start. With festive season approaching, we expect the traffic to increase in days to come. Most of the travellers included those who were stranded in the city for the last few months due to spurt in Covid cases in Mumbai,” said Central Railway spokesperson SG Rao.
“We are allowing only confirmed ticket holders after thermal scanning. For senior citizens, battery operated car (BOCs) have been in place. For precautionary purposes and formalities, travellers have been asked to report two hours before the train departure,” Rao said.
Rao added that as passengers are no longer being provided linen, the centralized AC temperature has been increased from the usual 23 degrees to 27 degrees to make AC coaches safer for travel.
With Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath festivals — all typically falling in October-November — people in many parts of the country plan their travel. This year, however, looks drastically different with only 19% citizens saying they will undertake festive travel.
Due to the pandemic, people have been cautious about travel. A latest survey by LocalCircles, a social media forum, in 239 districts revealed that only 19% citizens are keen to undertake festive travel this year. Of those who travel, only 23% say they will travel by a flight while others said car/taxi is expected to be most preferred mode of travel.