06 October,2020 07:22 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B Aklekar
A motorman waves from the cabin after local trains resume for essential staff, at Kandivli railway station, on June 15. File pic/Satej Shinde
After the state government stated that the Indian Railways (IR) was at liberty to start intra-state trains, including locals within the city and between Pune and Lonavala, the IR said they are evaluating which trains could be run within Maharashtra at least by mid-October.
Proposals have been made about 19 pairs of trains, including the iconic Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen, Mahalaxmi, Vidarbha, Sewagram, Pragati, Intercity, Shirdi, Sinhagad Express trains.
Besides, a proposal has also been made to run a few special trains to states with heavy passenger load. Among the proposed special interstate trains are Punjab Mail and four other trains to the north and the south. The proposals are, however, tentative and work is underway.
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Planning is also underway to run trains for the festival rush during Diwali and Chhath puja, to ensure passengers maintain a safe physical distance. A few specials have been proposed to heavy load destinations, like Gorakhpur, Howrah, Lucknow and Madgaon.
The intra-state trains may restart from October 15, and special ones may get a go-ahead from October 10. "All the proposals are being examined in close coordination with the state government, given the severity of the pandemic. Any decision would only be taken after taking all aspects into consideration so that there is no need for a roll-back," he said.
Meanwhile, the Pune police commissioner has drawn a standard operating procedure (SOP) for resumption of trains in the region. Local trains that usually run between Pune and Lonavala may also start.
The main elements of the SOP are replicating the template of Mumbai locals that are running for essential workers, using QR code, and the introduction of staggered timings at offices to reduce crowd pressure.
Western Railway proposal includes 42 pairs of trains, of which five are daily, one five days a week, two tri-weekly, six bi-weekly and seven weekly.
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