The Railway Board has given the go ahead to operate fully unreserved trains to all the 18 zonal railways, including Southern Railway.
The Railway Board also has permitted the zonal raiways to attach General Class coaches in all mail/express trains. The approval to allow attachment of General Class compartments and unreserved trains were taken at the Board meeting held last month.
A senior official of Southern Railway, giving details of the instructions, said the Railway Board has allowed all zonal railways to operate unreserved trains like Antyodaya and Jan Sadharan services. They should make provisions for attaching a minimum of two General Class compartments in all mail / express trains. The Board has also given the freedom to the zonal railways for adding more than two General coaches wherever it is opertionally and commercially feasible, he added.
The approval of the Railway Board to operate unreserved trains and add General Class compartments to mail / express trains is significant for resuming suburban train services in Chennai by Southern Railway.
To a question on resuming suburban train service, the Southern Railway General Manager John Thomas, during a virtual press meet held in September first week, had informed that a decision to operate suburban trains would be taken only after unreserved trains are allowed to operate.
The senior railway official said now a decision to resume suburban train services would be taken soon. Already the Southern Railway has readied a time table for operating suburban services, he added.
