IRCTC has resumed services of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Ahmedabad Tejas Express from October 17. The picture is from Mumbai Central station.
Advertisement
IRCTC on Saturday resumed the services for the first set of “private” Tejas Express trains, seven months after the Lucknow-New Delhi and Ahmedabad-Mumbai services were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
IRCTC had started the Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express on October 4, 2019, and the Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Ahmedabad on January 19 this year. The two Tejas Express services are the first set of trains run by a corporate entity, IRCTC, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways.
You have exhausted your monthly limit of free stories.
Read more stories for free with an Express account.
Coaches, including the pantry areas and lavatories, will be disinfected at regular intervals, IRCTC said.
The third IRCTC-operated train, the Kashi Mahakal Express between Indore and Varanasi will however not begin its services yet.
Both the Tejas trains have been received very well by passengers for their quality of services and punctuality. IRCTC, by offering to compensate travellers for late running of the trains, ensured the trains are properly monitored and run on time.
“IRCTC has conducted an extensive training programme to educate and train its team of employees of Tejas Trains to manage the operations of the trains and provide services according to the ‘New Normal’ amidst COVID-19 pandemic and to follow the Standard Operating Procedure ensuring passengers safety,” it said.
Face masks have been made mandatory for all the passengers.
Here are the safety protocols being followed:
Every alternate seat on the two trains will be kept vacant to ensure social distancing.
Passengers will be thermally screened before entering the coach. They will not be allowed to exchange their seats.
Passengers will be provided with a ‘Covid-19 protection kit’ containing a bottle of hand sanitiser, one mask, one face shield and a pair of gloves.
A cleaner sanitising the Tejas Express.
Coaches, including the pantry areas and lavatories, will be disinfected at regular intervals.
Baggage and luggage of passengers will also be disinfected.
Use of face covers/masks mandatory for passengers and staff.
Travellers will have to install the Aarogya Setu app and will have to show it as and when demanded by the staff.