IRCTC ready to run its fleet of Tejas express again

The Indian Railway Catering And Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) a PSU of the Ministry of Railways is all set to restart the operation of its fleet of Tejas Express trains (Lucknow-New Delhi & Ahmedabad-Mumbai) again for catering to the growing passenger demand due the festive season. Both the trains are expected to restart operations from 17th October, 2020.

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 to again start the operation of the two popular corporate trains, 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.

Both the trains have been received very well by the rail passengers in terms of quality of services, travel experience and punctuality. IRCTC, through its special complimentary travel insurance being offered to the passengers with the feature of compensating the travelers for late running of the trains had ensured the trains are properly monitored and run on time. All these facilities will be available to the passengers after the restart of the operations of these two Tejas Trains.

IRCTC has conducted an extensive training programme to educate and train its team of employees of Tejas Trains to manage the operations of the trains and provide services according to the ‘New Normal’ amidst COVID-19 pandemic and to follow the Standard Operating Procedure ensuring passengers safety. 

IRCTC started the operation of its first corporate train, the Lucknow-Delhi-Lucknow IRCTC Tejas Express Train No. 82501/02 on 4th October, 2019 while the Ahmedabad – Mumbai – Ahemedabad IRCTC Tejas Express Train No. 82901/02 starts from 19th January, 2020. 

The bookings for the trains will be opened on the e-ticketing website of IRCTC www.irctc.co.in  and IRCTC Rail Connect App shortly.