Special trains from Coimbatore see low occupancy on Day 1

Passengers on board a special train at the Salem Railway Junction on Monday.

The special trains operated by the Southern Railway from Coimbatore Junction, after a gap of over five months due to COVID-19 lockdown, saw low occupancy on Monday.

Officials from the Salem Division of Southern Railway said that Train No. 02679/02680 Intercity Superfast Special train to Chennai departed with 339 passengers from Coimbatore Junction at 6.15 a.m. Similarly, about 382 passengers boarded Train No. 02084/02083 Janshatabdi Special train to Mayiladuthurai at the Coimbatore Junction. The special trains have a total seating capacity for 1,600 passengers.

Meanwhile, only 100 passengers alighted from Train No. 02675/02676 Superfast Intercity Special between Chennai and Coimbatore and around 100 passengers boarded the train from Coimbatore Junction at 3.15 p.m. The occupancy is expected increase in the coming days, the officials said. About 30 personnel comprising the medical and ticketing staff members, along with personnel from Railway Protection Force Government Railway Police, were involved in monitoring the passengers at Coimbatore Railway Station on Monday. Passengers who arrived 90 minutes before the departure time were screened for temperature using the automated thermal scanner at the entrance.