Railways bear 85% of the total operating cost of each train. (File)
New Delhi:
The railways have transported around 40 lakh of migrant workers on 3,060 “ Shramik Special ” trains since May 1, according to official data.
Of the total trains, 2,608 trains have been stopped, while 453 are in circulation, the railways said, adding that on Sunday 237 special trains carried 3.1 lakh passengers.
The five main states / Union Territories from which the most trains come are Gujarat (853), Maharashtra (550), Punjab (333), Uttar Pradesh (221), Delhi (181).
The top five states where the maximum number of trains stopped are Uttar Pradesh (1245), Bihar (846), Jharkhand (123), Madhya Pradesh (112), Odisha (73).
Shramik special trains are operated mainly at the request of States, which wish to send migrant workers to their country of origin.
The railways bear 85% of the total operating cost of each train, while the rest is borne by the states in the form of tariffs.
The coronavirus lockout has had a devastating impact on the economy and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers.
He shone the spotlight on the plight of migrant workers whose journeys from several urban centers to their villages hundreds of kilometers away had made the headlines for almost two months.
Several of them were killed in road accidents. A number of migrant workers have even been killed by a high-speed train after falling asleep on the rails.
The railways also said that the congestion on the railways that was noted on May 23 and 24 is now over.
“The congestion occurred due to the convergence of more than two-thirds of rail traffic on the routes to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and the late customs clearance of terminals due to health protocols, etc. which had to be supplemented by state authorities, “he added.
“The problem has been resolved through active consultation with state governments and finding alternative workable routes for the trip,” he added.
On May 1, the Railways launched special trains for migrants to facilitate the return of these workers to their countries of origin.
While four of these trains were in operation on the first day, the number was increased to 279 on May 20.
In the past four days, the railways have operated 260 trains on average daily, carrying around three lakh of passengers.
