New Delhi, May 24: The Indian Railways has ferried over 37 lakh passengers till May 24 in Shramik Special trains since May 1, the government said on Sunday. The Railways has so far run more than 2,813 Shramik trains to facilitate the movement of stranded migrant workers, tourists, pilgrims among others back to their home states. The government release stated that nearly 60 percent trains originated from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab and are majorly destined for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. As per government data, 565 trains are currently in transit while 2,253 have arrived at their destinations.

A total of 80 percent Shramik Special trains are destined for various destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The government data shows that 1301 trains have been destined for Uttar Pradesh and 973 for Bihar. Most of the destinations in UP are around Lucknow - Gorakhpur sector and in Bihar around Patna. The special trains are being operated primarily on the requests of the states, which want to send migrant workers to their native places. According to data, Jharkhand has received 144 trains, Madhya Pradesh with 116, Gujarat has received 808 trains followed by Maharashtra with 517 trains and Punjab with 308 trains. Shramik Special Trains Will Not Need Permit From States Receiving Migrants Labourers, Says Railways Executive Director RD Bajpai.

The railways said that convergence of trains to these destinations caused congestion in the network. It added saying that the increased time taken in de-boarding of passengers due to the various health and social distancing protocols at the stations is leading to congestion at terminals which further affects network congestion.

To ease the congestion few trains were diverted via Mathura, Jharsuguda. Further, route rationalisation order has been issued to avoid congestion on routes with heavy traffic. The train running staff have also been sensitised to ensure punctual running of Shramik trains. With these efforts, the congestion position has eased considerably.

The Railways is bearing 85 per cent of the total cost of running each train while the rest is being borne by the states in the form of fares. Due to the surge in east bound trains leading to network congestion, trains got delayed and this affected the meals distribution schedule. IRCTC and Railways have mobilized resources to ensure regular supply of meals and water to the Shramik Special trains and minimize inconvenience to the passengers.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2020 07:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).