The Deccan Queen and Pragati Express, intercity trains which run between Mumbai and Pune, are expected to resume their services from mid-October, a senior official with the Central Railways told TOI.
This comes after the Maharashtra government on Wednesday extended the lockdown in the containment zones and announced a few relaxations for the non-containment zones. Along with the relaxations for restaurants and hotels, the state government also allowed resumption of local train services in the Pune region.
The senior official with the Central Railways said that a consolidated proposal about all intercity trains plying across the state has been sent to the railway board for approval. "Running all the trains, including those between Pune and Mumbai, is not a good idea revenue-wise. For now, we expect the Deccan Queen and Pragati Express to start by mid-October," he said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Friday recorded 15,591 new coronavirus cases, which took the total case count in the state to 14,16,513, the health department said.
With 424 COVID-19 patients succumbing, the death toll due to the pandemic reached 37,480. On the other hand, 13,294 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the total of recoveries to 11,17,720.
There are 2,60,876 active cases in the state, while 69,60,203 people have been tested so far. The recovery rate in the state is 78.91 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.65 per cent.
At present, 21,94,347 people are in home quarantine and 29,051 people in institutional quarantine.
The coronavirus figures in Maharashtra are: Total cases 14,16,513, New cases 15,591, Death toll 37,480, Recoveries 11,17,720, Active cases 2,60,876, People tested so far 69,60,203.
(With PTI inputs)
