Coronavirus lockdown: Indian Railways transport 40 lakh migrant workers via Shramik Special trains
by Ajith AthradyIndian Railways operated 3,060 “Shramik Special” trains since May 1st across the country and ferried 40 lakh passengers including migrant workers.
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On May 24 alone, total 265 Shramik Specials operated transporting 3.1 lakh passengers.
The top five States/UTs from where maximum trains originated are Gujarat (853 Trains), Maharashtra (550 Trains), Punjab (333 Trains), Uttar Pradesh (221 Trains) and Delhi (181 Trains).
Uttar Pradesh received the highest number of trains (1,245 trains) followed by Bihar (846 trains) and Jharkhand (123 trains).
Though some rail route which witnessed congested on May 23 and 24 was addressed. The congestion had occurred due to convergence of more than two-thirds rail traffic on routes to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and late clearance of the terminals due to health protocols etc that needed to be completed by state authorities. The matter was resolved through active consultation with state governments and also finding other feasible routes for the journey, the statement said.
In addition to Shramik specials, the railways are running 30 pairs of special trains connecting New Delhi and plans to start 200 more time tables trains on 1st June.