2,813+ Shramik trains threaten bottleneck at destination stations; routes rationalised

Amid the nationwide lockdown, the Indian Railways are committed to the uphill task of ferrying migrants to their destinations in native states. Ministry of Railways had said that the Indian Railways has run over 2,813 Shramik special trains which have carried over 37 lakh passengers till 10 am on Saturday. Around 60 per cent trains originated from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab and are majorly destined for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. 

"A total of 80 per cent of total Shramik trains are destined for various destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (1301 for UP and 973 for Bihar). Most of the destinations in UP are around Lucknow - Gorakhpur sector and in Bihar around Patna. Of 565 trains on run since yesterday, 266 were going to Bihar and 172 to Uttar Pradesh," reads the statement.

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Congestion due to convergence

The railway authorities apprised on the issues pertaining to congestion of networks due to convergences causing the delay in the entire process. 

"Convergence of trains to these destinations caused congestion in the network. Further, 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," the statement read.

"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. Round the clock monitoring at Railway Board level, Zonal Railway level and Divisional level is being done to ensure that trains are not delayed. The train running staff have also been sensitised to ensure the punctual running of Shramik special trains. With these efforts, the congestion position has eased considerably and the mobility of trains has drastically improved. Due to the surge in eastbound 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 statement added.

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The Indian Railways has so far served around 4.7 million free meals to the needy people across the country during the lockdown. Besides ferrying the migrants, the Indian Railways is also involved in manufacturing of essentials required for COVID warriors who are at the forefront of the battle against the deadly virus. During the lockdown, the Indian Railways produced 1.2 lakh coveralls of PPEs, 1.4 lakh litres sanitizer and 20 lakh reusable face mask/cover to support the nation's fight against the pandemic.

The total tally of COVID-19 cases in the country has mounted to 131,868. Of which 54,440 have been cured and discharged while 3,867 have succumbed to the virus, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.