COVID-19 second wave to impact train services? Here’s what Indian Railways announced

Attention passengers! There are no plans to curtail train services. On Friday, Indian Railways announced that there are no plans to curtail or stop train services. The national transporter assured railway passengers that train services will be provided on demand amidst reports of migrant workers rushing to their hometowns and native places, reminiscent of the days following the COVID-19 pandemic-triggered lockdown, according to a PTI report. Chairman of Railway Board, Suneet Sharma assured Indian Railways’ passengers that there is no dearth of train services and the national transporter is ready to put the trains into service on short notice.

At a press briefing, the Railway Board Chairman said that there is no plan to curtail or stop passenger train services. Indian Railways will run as many train services as required. Thus, there is no cause for alarm, he stated. If there is any rush, Indian Railways can run train services immediately on demand. During the summer season, this rush is normal and in order to clear the rush of passengers, the national transporter has already announced trains, he further said.

With the rising number of novel coronavirus cases, a sudden surge in the movement of railway passengers at stations was reported from across the country. Many travellers had said that the fear of an imminent lockdown due to covid crisis was the reason behind their trips. For those who want to travel, there is no shortage of trains, Sharma said. He also assured everyone that passenger train services will be provided on demand. The Chairman of the Railway Board also ruled out the requirement for a COVID-19 negative certificate to travel by Indian Railways’ trains. The national transporter has not yet received any communique from the state of Maharashtra to stop or curtail the movement of passenger trains in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, he added.