The Indian Railways has been taking strict measures in order to ensure that passengers have a safe, secure and comfortable travel experience during the pandemic.
For this, Railways suspended many services to enforce COVID safety norms in March 2020. However now, the national transporter has restarted several of these facilities in a phased manner and with all necessary precautions.
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Book IRCTC trainsHere is a round-up of the 4 big passenger facilities that the Railways has resumed in the past few months. Take a look below:
1. Second reservation chart being prepared 30 minutes before departure
Due to the pandemic, the Railways had shifted the time of preparation of the second reservation chart to at least 2 hours before the departure of the train.
However in October 2020, the national transporter restored the practice of preparing the second reservation chart 30 minutes before the train’s scheduled departure time:
Indian Railways has decided to restore earlier system of preparation of second reservation charts w.e.f. 10.10.2020.
Second reservation charts to be prepared between 30 minutes to 5 minutes before scheduled/rescheduled time of departure of trains.https://t.co/NieEOXlonE pic.twitter.com/IoZH283XCD— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 6, 2020
You can read in detail about the restoration of this facility here.
2. E-catering
Providing relief to passengers travelling on long routes, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) resumed the much-needed e-catering facility from February 1, 2021.
The service provides hot, hygienic and healthy food to passengers in the train itself. Passengers must note that as of now this service is available only at 62 railway stations across the country. Check the full list of these stations here.
3. Disposable linen
Due to the pandemic, the Railways discontinued the practice of providing reusable blankets, sheets and pillows in trains in order to provide a hygienic travel experience to the passengers. Passengers have been encouraged since then to bring their own linen while travelling in trains.
However, the national transporter has started providing disposable linen kits to passengers at several railway stations across the country at nominal charges. These linen kits include sheet, pillow, blanket as well as mask and sanitizer in various sets depending on the price.
Here are the pictures of one such kiosk set up at Khurda Road railway station in Odisha:
@RailMinIndia @EastCoastRail
One “KIOSK” for selling of disposable linen and COVID-19 items like face shield, gloves, Masks, Sanitizer etc installed at Khurda Road Railway station.@DRMSambalpur @DRMWaltairECoR pic.twitter.com/AcelY5xJ7F— DRM KhurdaRoad (@DRMKhurdaRoad) March 1, 2021
4. Unreserved trains
Starting February 2021, several railway zones have finally started operating unreserved trains on many routes. Passengers can check the latest list of these unreserved trains here.
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We hope that these restarted facilities will help you plan your journey with the Indian Railways in a better manner!
