Kolkata, May 14 (PTI) A special train from New Delhi, carrying more than 1,000 passengers, arrived at the Howrah station here on Thursday, as the Railways resumed partial services amid the COVID-19-triggered lockdown.

The air-conditioned train, the first between the national capital and the city since the imposition of the lockdown, reached Howrah at noon, two hours behind the scheduled time, an Eastern Railway (ER) official said here.

All 1,060 passengers were subjected to health check-up arranged by the state before they left the station building.

Official sources said at least 40 buses were arranged by the state Transport Department to take the passengers home. A number of app-based cabs and yellow taxis were also parked outside the station for the ones willing to hire those to reach home.

All returnees will have to undergo a 14-day home quarantine.

The Railways has started special train services between Delhi and several other cities from May 12. Services connecting Delhi and Howrah, which began on Wednesday, will be available daily, the ER official said.

A family of four from the city, who had gone on a tour of Delhi and Agra, said it was a relief to be home.

"We were having a difficult time living in hotel rooms. Luckily, we were able to get reserved tickets," said one of them.

Heaving a sigh of relief after alighting at the station, a young man in his 20s, who hails from North 24 Parganas, said he had gone to Kanpur on work for a few days, but was left stranded for nearly two months.

"I was anxious to return home as my aged parents were having problems fending for themselves amid the lockdown," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)