Passenger trains may be resumed on a case-to-case basis: Explained

From encouraging social distancing on board to asking passengers to wear face masks and using the Arogya Setu app to check their health status, the Railways is mulling over several proposals.

The Indian Railways has begun preparing plans to resume passenger and mail express train services after the 21-day lockdown period in the wake of Covid-19 disease.

Passenger train services have been suspended since ‘Janta Curfew’ on March 22. (AFP File Photo)

Directions have been issued to zones to prepare restoration plans from April 15.

However, the Railways ministry has said that no resumption plan has been officially issued, and that the concerned people will be duly informed about any further decision.

“Certain media reports have come on a post lockdown “restoration plan” with train details,frequency etc. It is to clarify that no such plan regarding the resumption of passenger services has been issued.All concerned would be duly informed about any further decision in this regard,” the ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.

But news agency PTI reported that officials have been told to deploy staff on duty. The news agency also gave details about proposals being considred by the Railways after lockdown is lifted.

Thermal screening of passengers

According to PTI, officials in the Railways are discussing protocols that need to be followed once services begin, to ensure safety of passengers. They are mulling options like thermal screening and other methods to scan passengers boarding trains.

While no decision has yet been taken on when the passenger services will be resumed, officials said it is likely to be done in a phased manner after a green signal from the government.

Also Watch: Isolation wards for COVID-19 patients inside train coach

Using face masks

Officials contacted by PTI said that once the services resume full throttle, they expect overcrowding at stations and measures have to be chalked out on how to deal with them.

Among these measures, said the officials, are encouraging passengers to wear face masks when they come to board a train. The officials have also instructed staff to use the Arogya Setu app to check the health status of the passengers before letting them in. The staff on board trains will also ask passengers to follow social distancing norms.

“These are sensitive times and we are not looking in terms of revenue generation for now. The focus is on passenger safety and to ensure that the disease does not spread,” a senior officer told the news agency.

Running trains on specific routes

The officials further said that there was discussion on resuming services only on specific approval of each train from the Railway Board. Suggestions on phase-wise resumption have to be provided by the zone to the board, officials told PTI.

The focus, say officials, is to see if routes catering to migrant workers can be resumed initially and also those that are not travelling or has halts at Covid-19 hotspots.

The officials added that the railways will also have to factor in how the lockdown is eventually opened. If it is selective, then trains will only run in areas where lockdown is lifted, officials said.

Preparing the unused rakes

The focus now for Railways, the officials quoted by PTI said, is to ensure that the rakes of passenger trains, which were suspended due to the lockdown, had returned to their respective bases, received proper maintenance like charging of batteries, cleaning of bio-toilets, and were ready to return on the tracks once the resumption is announced.

Officials also said that Railways Minister Piyush Goyal is keen that the railways concentrate on ensuring that the different zones continue their efforts towards contributing in the larger fight against coronavirus.

Railway PSUs have already committed to converting around 2,500 coaches as isolation wards initially which are likely to be sent in rural areas that do not have hospitals.

The Railways has also offered its hospitals for infected patients and are producing essential medical goods like masks, sanitisers, PPEs.

A decision about resumption of services is likely to be taken this week.