The first special train after the easing of curbs on train services in the county following the outbreak of COVID-19 arrived in the State on Thursday when the New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Central Rajdhani superfast (02432) with 165 passengers reached Kozhikode at 10 p.m.
The passengers stranded in the national capital had boarded the train at the Delhi station at 11.25 a.m. on Wednesday. This apart, passengers had boarded from Kota, Vadodara, Panvel, Goa Madgaon and Mangaluru where the train had scheduled halts. However, no one was allowed to board the train from Kozhikode as the State government had prohibited intrastate travel on public transport.
No intrastate travel
Restrictions on intrastate travel will also be applicable for the Delhi-bound train on Friday. The tickets of those who booked from Thiruvananthapuram to alight at the Kozhikode and Ernakulam stations would be cancelled and the fare refunded, railway officials said.
The passengers who alighted at Kozhikode were subjected to thermal screening and those who had symptoms of fever were shifted to the Kozhikode beach hospital or government medical college hospital.
About 20 Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses were arranged to transport the other passengers to their destinations, including rural areas of Kozhikode, Kannur, Malappuram, Palakkad and Wayanad districts.
The other passengers along with the drivers tasked with their conveyance were advised to remain in home quarantine for the next 14 days.
At care centres
The Kozhikode Corporation had arranged COVID care centres for the passengers who had no other option. They would also remain quarantined for a fortnight.
Health officials and other staff from Railways and police were deployed to facilitate the screening of passengers. Special counters were arranged for this purpose. The railway station was sanitised and the police also banned entry of visitors.
