The country witnessed an exodus of migrant workers during the first coronavirus-induced lockdown last year. Amid a massive rise in COVID-19 cases recently, similar scenes have again been reported in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, etc.
According to reports, the Central Railways has added special trains to the northern states as demand from passengers have gone up. The numbers of passengers with valid tickets going to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, etc. from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kurla's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) have gone up substantially.
Also, the Central Railways has made provisions for additional special trains from Mumbai to Gorakhpur, Patna, Darbhanga, Faizabad, Karaikal, Burhanpur, Bhusaval, Khandwa and Pune to Danapur.
Meanwhile, the Central Railways has on Thursday issued a clarification, and asked the people to avoid panic booking of trains amid the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The Central Railways said that the additional trains is only an extension of the ongoing gradual restoration of train services.
"Announcement of additional trains if any to certain places is only an extension of the ongoing gradual restoration of train services. Railway Administration appeals to everyone that any speculation about the reasons or panic booking of trains may please be avoided in such challenging circumstances of COVID-19. Railways run more trains in summer for the convenience of passengers," Central Railways said.
"Only passengers having confirmed tickets are being permitted to board the trains. Passengers are advised to adhere all norms, SOPs related to COVID-19 during the boarding, travel and at destination," it further said.
