New Delhi : In view of the growing passenger demand in the festive season, the Indian Railway Catering And Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) a PSU of the Ministry of Railways on Wednesday said that it is expecting to restart operations of its Tejas Express trains (Lucknow-New Delhi & Ahmedabad-Mumbai) from 17th October.
The operation of these two Tejas Trains was suspended from 19th March, 2020 due to spread of Covid 19 Pandemic.
On getting approval from Ministry of Railways, IRCTC is making all round preparations to ensure that the trains once started match the expectation of the people in terms of levels of services and safety and health protocols amidst the ongoing pandemic. Every alternate seat will be kept vacant following the Social distancing norms for the initial period.
A Standard Operation Procedure observing Covid-19 protocol has been issued to ensure safety of the passengers. Passengers will not be allowed to exchange their seats once seated. Use of face covers/masks will be mandatory for passengers and staff. All travelers will install “Arogya Setu” app and same shall be shown as and when demanded. Detailed instructions will be given to the passengers at the time of booking of tickets.
All the passengers will be provided a Covid-19 protection kit which will contain a bottle of hand sanitizers, one mask, one face shield and one pair of gloves. All the passengers will go through thermal screening and hand sanitization process before entering the coach.
The coach including pantry areas and lavatories will be thoroughly disinfected at regular intervals. The luggage and baggage of the passengers will be disinfected by a staff deputed for this purpose. Cleaning and regular disinfection of frequently touched surface inside the coach will be done. The service trays and trolleys will also be disinfected.