Plan to travel via railways? Here is what one should know about the new COVID norms

Hyderabad: As part of the ongoing process to ensure the safety of all rail passengers, the Indian Railways has implemented several special measures as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs to contain the spread of COVID-19. Ever since the resumption of passenger train services in reserved and unreserved sectors, railways has been advising the passengers to always follow COVID protocols at the railway premises, for their own safety as well as for the safety of co-passengers.

In view of the current pandemic, to enhance the safety of passengers and to ensure further containment of the virus, a new set of COVID protocols will be enforced.The measures include ticket checking staff not participating in booking of tickets of passengers on the waiting list inside the train. Passengers with fully waitlisted tickets shall not be allowed to enter the railway station. Unreserved tickets shall be permitted on some trains on which unreserved journey has been permitted.

During the journey, no linen blankets and curtains shall be provided and the temperature inside the AC coaches will be regulated to suit this purpose. Bedroll kits will be available at multi-purpose stalls.

The IRCTC will enable catering services to passengers through its e-catering facility and provision for catering services in trains shall be subject to compliance of all safety and hygiene protocols. No catering charges shall be included in the fare and prepaid catering services in trains shall be disabled. However, ready-to-eat (RTE) meals, packed items, packaged drinking water bottles, tea, coffee, and other beverages shall be made available to passengers in trains on payment basis through pantry cars.

All passengers are advised to wear masks at the stations as well as all throughout the journey without fail. This should be done along with maintaining social distancing with the usage of sanitizers whenever necessary. Only those passengers who are found asymptomatic in thermal screening will be permitted to travel. On arrival at the destination station, passengers are advised to strictly adhere to health protocols of that state or union territory.