New Special trains running for exam students in Maharashtra, Bihar, U.P & Rajasthan (1/09/2020)
Just like every year, several students are appearing for NEET, JEE Main exams in the on-going year 2020. Many students also required to travel by train to sit for the exams. But due to the spread of the Novel Coronavirus infection, many Passenger and Special trains are operating in a phased manner making train travel uncertain. Therefore, it was recently announced by the Government that students appearing for JEE, NEET Main exams 2020 to travel by special train services in Bihar, U.P, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. In these Special trains, only students and their parents/ guardians will be allowed to travel.
There are certain guidelines for the students and families that they must follow –
- Students have to carry their JEE or NEET admit cards to enter stations on exam days.
- Additional booking counters will be opened at important railway stations to maintain social distancing.
- All travellers are requested to follow the medical and social protocols as mandated for COVID-19
No. of Special Trains running in states:
- A pair of 8 special intercity trains will run from September 4 to September 15 in Bihar.
- 4 special trains will run from September 4 to September 15 in Rajasthan.
- 5 special trains will run from September 3 to September 30 in Uttar Pradesh (UP).
- 5 special trains will run from September 3 to September 30 in Maharashtra
Indian Railways to Introduce 100 new Special Trains very soon (1/09/2020) – As India prepares itself for Unlock 4.0, the Ministry of Railways is planning to introduce 100 more passenger trains. The introduction and operations of these passenger trains will happen in strict monitoring and phased manner.
Earlier this year in March, the Indian Railways had announced a complete halt of all train services due to the sudden widespread of COVID-19 cases in the country. However, with time the train travel restrictions were eased out. 30 Rajdhani trains + 200 special trains started train travel services in the month of May & June respectively. The Indian Railway also introduced the Shramik Special trains for transporting stranded migrants back to their hometowns across all states.
All the state Governments are being consulted for the proposed idea of 100 more passenger trains. The decision about the number of trains to be started will be announced soon.
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Nevrati Express special train & other running trains stand cancelled or diverted (25/08/2020) – Earlier this month, due to the heavy rainfalls in the Konkan region, the lined-wall of the Pernem tunnel in North Goa had collapsed.This resulted in four long-distance IRCTC trains to stand cancelled.
The Indian Railways today announced that six trains have been diverted, and further cancelled four trains on the Konkan route due to the damage caused by the landslide. The diversions are in the Londa Jn – Panvel section.
Cancelled trains list –
- Train No.06346 Thiruvananthapuram Central- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus daily (Netravati) special train leaving Thiruvananthapuram Central will remain cancelled till September 10.
- Train No.06345 Lokmanya Tilak Terminus -Thiruvananthapuram Central daily special train leaving Lokmanya Tilak Terminus will remain cancelled till September 10.
- Train No.02432 New Delhi – Thiruvananthapuram Central Rajdhani superfast triweekly special scheduled to leave New Delhi on August 23, 25, 16, 30 and September 1, 2, 6, 8 and 9.
- Train No.02431 Thiruvananthapuram Central – New Delhi Rajdhani superfast triweekly special train scheduled to leave Thiruvananthapuram Central on August 25, 27, 28 and September 1, 3, 4, 8, 10 and 11.
Diverted Trains list –
- Train No.02617 Ernakulam Jn – Hazrat Nizamuddin daily superfast special train leaving Ernakulam Jn will be diverted via Madgaon-Londa Jn.-Miraj Jn.-Pune-Panvel-Kalyan Jn
- Train No.02618 Hazrat Nizamuddin – Ernakulam Jn daily superfast special train leaving Hazrat Nizamuddin willbe diverted via Panvel -Pune – Miraj Jn-Londa Jn – Madgaon
- Train No.02432 New Delhi – Thiruvananthapuram Central Rajdhani superfast special train leaving New Delhi will be diverted via Panvel- Pune- Miraj Jn- Londa Jn-Madgaon
- Train No.02431 Thiruvananthapuram Central – New Delhi Rajdhani superfast special train leaving Thiruvananthapuram Central
- Train No.02284 Hazrat Nizamuddin- Ernakulam Jn Duronto weekly special train leaving Hazrat Nizamuddin will be diverted via Oune- Guntakal- Jolarpettai on August 22, 29 and September 5
Passenger trains suspended except special trains (11/08/20) – Due to the sudden spike in the COVID-19 cases in the country, the Indian Railways has decided to suspend services of all regular passenger trains till further notice. However, 230+ special trains will continue to run. A full refund is promised to all train travellers who have booked their IRCTC tickets in the regular passenger trains. The refund process of e-ticket cancellation remains the same – it will be credited back to the user’s account after auto-cancellation.
Konkan Railways Update (10/08/2020) – Four major long-distance IRCTC trains running through the popular Konkan Railway route have been cancelled. Due to the ongoing heavy rainfalls in the region, the Pernem tunnel lined-wall collapsed. This lies between Pernem-Madure stations; multiple landslides in Kulem-Castle Rock Ghat section of South Western Railway has also been reported. The IRCTC services will face affect in states like – Maharashtra, Kerala & Karnataka.
Cancelled trains:
| Train No. | Train Name/ Origin | Cancelled Dates |
| No.06345 | Thiruvananthapuram Central daily special train – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus | August 9 to 20 |
| No.02432 | New Delhi – Thiruvananthapuram Central Rajdhani superfast tri-weekly special train | August 9, 11, 12, 16 and 18 |
| No.02431 | Thiruvananthapuram Central – New Delhi Rajdhani superfast tri-weekly special train | August 11, 13, 14, 18 and 20 |
Diverted trains:
| Train No. | Train Name/ Origin | Diverted Route | Dates |
| No.02617 | Ernakulam Junction – Hazrat Nizamuddin daily superfast special train | to run via Madgaon-Londa Junction-Miraj Junction -Pune-Panvel-Kalyan Junction. | August 9 to 20 |
| No.02618 | Hazrat Nizamuddin – Ernakulam Junction daily superfast special train | To run via Kalyan Junction – Panvel – Pune – Miraj Junction – Londa Junction – Madgaon. | August 9 to 20 |
| No.02284 | Hazrat Nizamuddin – Ernakulam Junction Duronto weekly special train | To run via Pune- Guntakal- Jolarpettai Junction. | August 15 |
West Bengal Railways Update – The West Bengal Government recently announced a complete lockdown every two days in a week in Odisha, to prevent the novel coronavirus infection. Due to the announcement of a complete lockdown, the IRCTC services and train travel will continue to remain affected in Odisha and other states like Tamil Nadu, New Delhi, Bihar, U.P, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and more.
Indian Railways special trains passing through or originating from the state of Odisha will be cancelled or will experience stoppages in the ongoing operations. The West Bengal Government has declared a strict lockdown on the following dates – 5, 8, 16,17, 23, 24, and 31 August 2020.
Check out the list of special trains affected due to the lockdown!
Trains under Cancellation
| 1. | 02245 Howrah-Yesvantpur Duronto Special leaving from Howrah on 5th, 8th, 16th & 23rd August |
| 2. | 02246 Yesvantpur-Howrah Duronto Special leaving from Yesvantpur on 7th, 10th, 16th, 18th, 23rd, 25th & 30th August |
| 3. | 02202 Bhubaneswar-Sealdah Duronto Special leaving from Bhubaneswar on 4th, August 2020 |
| 4. | 02074/02073 Bhubaneswar-Howrah-Bhubaneswar Jan Shatabdi Special on 5th, 8th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, and 31st August will remain cancelled from both Bhubaneswar & Howrah directions. |
Trains under Partial-Cancellation
| 1. | 02704 Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Special Express on 4th, 7th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd & 30th August will be terminated at Bhubaneswar and will not go up to Howrah. |
| 2. | 02703 Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Special Express on 5th, 8th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, and 31st August will be cancelled from Howrah to Bhubaneswar on the same day |
Trains under Withdrawal of Stoppages
| 1. | 02801 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Special Purushottam Express and 02802 New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Special Purushottam Express on 4th, 7th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd and 30th August will not have a stoppage at Purulia and Hijli from both the directions |
| 2. | 02823 Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Special Rajdhani Express on 5th, 8th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th & 31st August 2020 and 02824 New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Special Rajdhani Express on 4th, 7th, 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd, and 30th August will not have stoppages at Hijli Station from both the directions. |
| 3. | 02201 Sealdah (Kolkata)-Bhubaneswar Duronto Special Express on 17th, 24th & 31st August and 02202 Bhubaneswar-Sealdah Duronto Special on 15th & 22nd August 2020 will not have stoppages at Kharagpur Station from both the directions. |
Trains under Short Termination
| 1. | 02704 Falaknuma COVID 19 Special that leaves from Secunderabad Jn (SC) at 15:55 will be short terminated at Bhubaneswar (BBS) on 4, 7, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 30 August 2020 |
| 2. | 02703 Falaknuma COVID 19 SF Special that leaves from Howrah (HWH) at 07:25 will be partially cancelled between Howrah (HWH) and Bhubaneswar (BBS) on 5, 8, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 31 August 2020. |
| 3. | 02308 Jodhpur Howrah COVID 19 SF Special commencing journey from Jodhpur on August 3 will be short terminated at Dhanbad. |
| 4. | 02307 Howrah Jodhpur COVID 19 SF Special that leaves from Howrah (HWH) at 23:25 will originate from Dhanbad (DHN) instead of Howrah (HWH) on August 5. |
The remaining special trains will continue to function across other parts of India
To travel on these special trains, travellers can easily book their tickets through the RailYatri App or the RailYatri website (railyatri.in). Travellers can also book tickets in tatkal, as the tatkal ticket booking service is available for all IRCTC special trains.
Indian Railways has also laid down certain train travel guidelines to prevent novel coronavirus infection:
- Arogya Setu app is mandatory
- Protective gears – gloves and masks
- Thermal Screening at stations
- Maintain social distancing
- Reach station 90 minutes in advance
RailYatri is closely monitoring the Government/ IRCTC guidelines and will adhere to all instructions related to train ticket booking.
Stay Safe! and Stay Tuned! to read more on Indian Railways. Download the RailYatri app for a quick ticket booking experience. Get confirmed PNR status, live train status without internet, trains between stations, seat availability, and updated train time table on the app.
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