IRCTC's 'private' Tejas trains resume services from today

New Delhi, Oct 17: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Limited on Saturday restarted the first set of "private" Tejas Express trains, seven months after the services were suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic. On October 4, 2019, IRCTC had started the Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow Tejas Express 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. The Tejas trains were suspended on March 19 and will now run from October 17. However, the third IRCTC-operated train, the Kashi Mahakal Express between Indore and Varanasi will not begin its services as of now.

In a statement, IRCTC said, "On getting approval from the Ministry of Railways to again start the operation of the two popular corporate trains, IRCTC is making all-round preparations to ensure that the trains once started to match the expectation of the people in terms of levels of services and safety and health protocols amidst the ongoing pandemic."

Here are some of the safety protocols being followed

a. According to the state-run company, every alternate seat on the two trains will be kept vacant to ensure social distancing.

b. Passengers will be thermally screened before entering the coach and will not be allowed to exchange their seats.

c. According to reports, passengers will be provided with a "COVID-19 protection kit" with a bottle of hand sanitiser, a mask, one face shield and a pair of gloves.

d. Coaches, including the pantry areas and lavatories, will be disinfected at regular intervals.

e. Use of face covers/masks will be mandatory for passengers and staff.

f. Detailed instructions were also given to the passengers at the time of booking of tickets.