MHA says passenger with e-tickets don't need e-pass to board trains; mandates precautions

Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Monday said that passengers with confirmed e-tickets don not need e-pass and they will be allowed to reach Railway Stations without any hassle.  The Indian Railways said it plans to gradually restart passenger train operations from May 12, initially with 15 pairs of trains (30 return journeys).

Ministry of Railways has made it mandatory for all passengers to download and use the Aarogya Setu application. No Linen, blankets, and curtains shall be provided inside the train. Passengers will have to carry their own linen for the travel. Addressing a press conference Srivastava said Railways will operate passenger trains from May 12 from New Delhi to 15 stations and the Home Ministry has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) under the Disaster Management Act for trains' schedule and booking confirmation or cancellation.

"Passengers with a confirmed e-ticket can come to the Railway Station. They do not need any e-pass. They have to maintain social distancing and face masks are a must to board a train. Only asymptomatic patients will be allowed to board trains. After reaching their destinations, they have to follow all health protocols issued by the Health Ministry in view of COVID-19 situation," she said.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry Joint Secretary said that Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has requested states and Union Territories (UTs) to allow movement of doctors, paramedical staff, health workers staff, ambulances, and sanitation personnel as well as provide them security. 

The Cabinet Secretary has also urged the states and UTs not to allow migrant laborers to move by foot and arrange trains or buses for them. In this regard, the Home Ministry has spoken to Railways and State nodal officers to review special trains arrangements and it was emphasized that daily 100 Shramik trains shall be operated, she said.

READ: These are the 15 Railway train routes for which IRCTC booking will open at 4 pm on Monday

READ: Indian Railways to gradually restart operations with 15 passenger trains from May 12

Railways to begin operations from May 12

In a major announcement, the Indian Railways said it plans to gradually restart passenger train operations from May 12, initially with 15 pairs of trains (30 return journeys). These trains will be run as special trains from New Delhi Station connecting Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Railways said the state-run transporter shall start more special services on new routes, based on the available coaches after reserving 20,000 coaches for COVID-19 care centres and an adequate number of coaches being reserved to enable operation of up to 300 trains every day as “Shramik Special” for stranded migrants.

Booking for reservation on these trains will start at 4 pm on Monday and will be available only on the IRCTC website. However, ticket booking counters at the railway stations will remain shut and no counter tickets (including platform tickets) will be issued. Only passengers with valid confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway stations.

READ: Now, around 1,700 passengers & 3 stoppages for 'Shramik Special' trains for migrants

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