MHA issues SOP for movement of persons by train; only asymptomatic passengers can travel

On Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a Standard Operating Protocol for the movement of persons by train. This comes a day ahead of the partial resumption of long-distance passenger trains. As per the SOP, the movement of trains shall be permitted by the Ministry of Railways in a graded manner in consultation with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The information pertaining to the train schedule, coach specifications, the protocol for booking, entry, and movement of passengers shall be widely publicized.

It stated that only those passengers with confirmed e-tickets shall be allowed to enter the station. Moreover, all passengers will be compulsorily screened, and only asymptomatic passengers can board the train. They will be provided hand sanitizers at entry and exit points at stations and coaches. Additionally, they must wear face cover or masks during entry and travel. On arrival at their destination, the passengers shall adhere to the health protocols prescribed by the respective state or Union Territory. 

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Read: Now, Around 1,700 Passengers & 3 Stoppages For 'Shramik Special' Trains For Migrants

Special trains from May 12

In a major step towards easing of restrictions, the Ministry of Railways on May 10 announced that 15 pair of trains (30 return journeys) will run from New Delhi station to Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Mumbai Central, Bengaluru, Jammu Tawi, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad, and Chennai from May 12. It also promised to start special trains on new routes depending on the available coaches after reserving 20,000 coaches for the COVID-19 Care Centres and an adequate number of coaches to enable operation of up to 300 Shramik Special trains. The tickets will be available for sale from 4 pm on Monday, May 11 solely on the IRCTC website.

Read: 'It Is Prohibited': Western Railway Appeals To Migrant Workers To Stay Off Railway Tracks

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