Journalism student Abeer Khan reports on how the pandemic has affected train travel in India.
DELHI, INDIA – Train travel in India, which remained suspended between March and May last year, is becoming increasingly regulated due to a new surge in coronavirus cases.
Authorities have been conducting random RT-PCR tests for passengers on railway stations across the country.
Wearing face masks, undergoing thermal screening, social distancing and sanitizing are mandatory on all Indian railway stations.
Once they reach their destinations, passengers are required to quarantine at home for seven to 14 days.
State governments have imposed varying restrictions based on the number of infections.
The governments of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Assam as well as Jammu & Kashmir require negative RT-PCR tests before travelers from other states are allowed to enter.
Only passengers with valid tickets are allowed on railway stations to discourage crowds from forming and to help contain the spread of the disease.
Only 230 special trains operate throughout India during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to around 13,000 trains that had been running earlier.
The trains are not running at their full capacity.
