The Railways authorioties have decided to cancel some special trains temporarily owing to slump in the occupancy ration in view of the sharp spike in coronavirus infections.
Train no. 08516 Visakhapatnam- Kirandul special express will be cancelled from May 7 to 21 and 08515 Kirandul- Visakhapatnam special express will be cancelled from May 8 to 22.
Train no. 08445 Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur special express will not ply between May 8 and 22 and in the return direction 08446 Jagdalpur- Visakhapatnam special express will be cancelled from May 9 to 23.
Train no.02708 Tirupati-Visakhapatnam double-decker special express will be cancelled from May 7 to 30 and 02707 Visakhapatnam-Tirupati Double Decker special express from May 8 to 31, said A.K. Tripathi, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Waltair Division of the East Coast Railway (ECoR). Similarly, train no.02784 Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam special express will be cancelled from May 8 to 29 and 02783 Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad special express from May 9 to 30. Train no. 08528 Visakhapatnam-Raipur and 08527 Raipur-Visakhapatnam special express trains will be cancelled on May 8, 9, 15 and 16 and train no. 08301 Sambalpur-Rayagada special and 08302 Rayagada-Sambalpur special trains on May 8, 9, 15 and 16. The Railways authorities has urged the people to take note of the changes.
Advisory for passengers
The Railways authorities have launched measures to check the spread of COVID-19 infections by enforcing appropriate curbs at stations, ticket counters and on trains to prevent overcrowding, including fines for not wearing masks.
All passengers are undergoing thermal scanning at the railway stations under Waltair Division.
As different State governments are issuing health advisories , passengers should invariably follow the protocols at originating and destination stations, the officials said.
The A.P. government, as part of its efforts to check the infections, has imposed curfew from May 5 to 18, allowing movement of people between 6 a.m. and noon.
Similarly, it has been made mandatory for all passengers reaching West Bengal from outside the State to furnish RT-PCR negative test reports issued not more than 72 hours before departure of the train, said A.K. Tripathi, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Waltair Division.
COVID-19 protocols
Waltair Division has appealed to all passengers to follow all COVID-19 protocols issued from time to time by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the respective State governments. Only passengers with valid and reserved tickets can enter the railway stations. Entry is not permitted without mask and passengers should not crowd around at reservation counters and while boarding and alighting trains.
They should maintain social distance on the station premises and in trains, wash their hands frequently or use hand sanitisers. They should bring their own bed spreads and food items.
