Following the Centre’s announcement to allow special train services to transport stranded people from across the country to their respective states, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Dimapur station has made preparations to receive passengers. According to official sources, the first batch of passengers would be arriving Thursday at 1:45am in a special New Delhi-Dibrugarh Town Rajdhani Express.
As per the passenger list, 19 persons would arrive at Dimapur railway station out of which seven passengers would be heading to Manipur.
When Nagaland Post visited the railway station, it was found that provisions have been put in place to maintain social distancing. Three information collection booths were also set up for passengers of Nagaland, Manipur and Assam outside the station.
It was learnt that the passengers on arrival would be provided transportation and taken to the government quarantine facilities. GRPS officials informed that the railway station was being disinfected on regular basis.
Meanwhile, according to DIPR, the first group of inter-state returnees from North East region comprising 11 persons from the Jain community reached Dimapur by bus on May 12, at around 6:45 p.m. The second batch of returnees numbering 20 reached Dimapur from Jorhat, Mariani and Titabor in four buses around 9:10 p.m. on May 12. After going through the necessary protocols, they were kept in the quarantine centres.
Railways likely to run more trains
In an indication that it might soon start mail/express as well as chair car services, the Railway Board on Wednesday issued an order introducing the provision of waiting list starting May 22 for journeys not only on its presently operational special trains but also on all its forthcoming services.
The railways has, however, capped the waiting list on these trains — up to 100 for AC 3 tier, 50 for AC 2 tier, 200 for Sleeper Class, 100 for chair cars, and 20 each for First AC and Executive Class — truncating the queues for confirmed tickets significantly. (PTI)
The changes will come into effect for tickets booked from May 15 for journeys beginning from May 22.
The order from the railway board to the zones indicates that the railways is planning to run mixed services instead of the presently all air-conditioned trains. This also means that it could begin services to smaller towns along with the major cities that its Rajdhani specials cater to now.
So far there is no order from the railways to begin more services.