As Indian Railways suspended all passenger trains till March 31 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in India, Railway officials are now concentrating on smooth and faster movement of goods trains to ensure uninterrupted supply of essentials.
According to a Railway official, on an average, Railway moves nearly 50,000 wagons every day, and to ensure essential supplies in all parts of the country, movement of goods trains will continue.
Regular tracks are being cleared for goods trains, and necessary arrangements are being made to park cancelled passenger trains. All the non-operational passenger trains have been parked in the maintenance yards, carsheds, coaching yards and other Railway facilities.
"Besides washing and maintenance yards, we have multiple loop-lines to park and accommodate passenger trains those are not moving. We are ensuring tracks should be available for goods trains for faster movement," Anil Kumar Saxena, media advisor to the railway minister, told THE WEEK. Another Railway official clarified that every train has its own home depot from where its originates.
"Majority of trains are parked in their home depot, and Railway always has the operational freedom to move these coaches to make way for a goods train," Railways official clarified.
Indian Railways operates around 3,700 regular trains daily. Of this, 2,400 are unreserved passenger trains and 1,300 are long distance trains. Besides, Railways also operates local trains, sub-urban trains and special trains regularly.
Railway ministry, on Sunday, decided to shut its operation of passenger trains. “In continuation of the measures taken in the wake of COVID-19, it has been decided that all passenger train services of the Indian Railways, including premium trains, mail or express trains, passenger trains, suburban trains, Kolkata Metro Rail, Konkan Railway etc. shall be cancelled till 24.00 hours of 31.03.2020,” the Railway ministry said.
Meanwhile, Railway authorities have extended the time limit of stay in its retiring rooms for stranded passengers.
Railway official said the move was taken after it has been brought to notice that some passengers, who were in retiring rooms and booked for travel by train after a day or two, are facing problems as all trains are now cancelled and they have nowhere to go.
"Railway board has decided that in all such cases, the stay may be extended in supersession of the rule that limits the number of days a passenger can stay in a retiring rooms," said a Railway official while adding that this relaxation shall be in force till normal train services resume. "All station masters are being conveyed this instructions quickly for the benefit of stranded passengers."
