With the Centre giving the go ahead to partially resume passenger train services from Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the movement of people by trains.
Here are the various instructions to be kept in mind by train passengers from tomorrow:
1. Only those passengers with confirmed e-tickets shall be allowed to enter the station and board a train. No provision of tatkal or premium tatkal accommodation will be available.
2. The movement of the passenger(s) as well as the driver of the vehicle transporting the passenger(s) to and fro the railway station shall be allowed on the basis of the confirmed e-ticket.
3. Only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to travel.
4. All passengers will have to wear face masks and observe social distancing norms while entering a station and during travel.
5. The Railways will ensure that passengers shall be compulsorily screened.
6. All passengers to be provided hand sanitiser at stations and in coaches.
7. Passengers will have to carry their own food, drinking water, blankets and bedsheets. Pillows also will not be provided on the special trains.
8. Dry, ready-to-eat food, bottled water to be provided on payment.
9. On arrival at their destination, the travelling passengers will have to adhere to such health protocols as are prescribed by the destination state or union territory.
10. Online cancellation permitted up to 24 hrs before scheduled departure; cancellation charge to be 50 per cent of fare.
11. Advance reservation period will be maximum seven days; No RAC, waiting-list tickets; on-board booking by ticket checking staff not permitted.
12. All passengers advised to download and use Aarogya Setu application.
13. Passengers shall reach station at least 90 minutes in advance to facilitate thermal screening.
14. Special trains to have only AC classes; fare structure shall be as applicable for regular time-tabled Rajdhani trains.
Interestingly, there is no special instruction making Aarogya Setu app mandatory for train passengers. This is, perhaps, keeping in mind the general and second class travelers who may not have smartphones.
Meanwhile, The Indian Express reports that the toilets will not be cleaned by some staff travelling on the train as Onboard Housekeeping Services will be unavailable on most of the trains originating from Delhi due to the unavailability of contract labourers for the job.
For the first time since March 25, when the lockdown began, a total of 15 trains for different destinations will leave New Delhi on Tuesday for which bookings began on Monday.
Giving an indication that the government is inclined to allow more trains to ply, the home ministry said the movement of trains shall be permitted by the Ministry of Railways in a graded manner, in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). "Train schedule, protocols for booking, entry and movement of passengers, and coach service specifications shall be widely publicised by the Ministry of Railways," the order said.
The health advisories and guidelines will be circulated by the Ministry of Railways through the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign for their staff members and passengers.