Railways to run Century of Parcel Trains to Deliver Necessities
As we all know that passenger trains are completely shut for the first time in the history of Indian Railways to prevent COVID-19 infection. Earlier it was announced that only freight trains will run but the Railways has also started operating parcel trains during this period. Indian Railways has issued a time table of 109 parcel trains for the supply of essential goods across the country. Railways have identified around 58 routes for the parcel trains to run. The on demand parcel trains are used for carrying those priority goods like the daily necessities; the scarcity of which can make the situation worse. This effort of the Railways is getting much praise. It has decided to operate more than 100 such trains.
Parcel Trains would Benefit Common People and Industries
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar’s decision to run 109 parcel trains on 58 rail routes of the country is a commendable step. Tomar said in a statement on Friday that the parcel trains would benefit the common people as well as industries and agriculture sector in this hour of crisis. The Union Agriculture Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for this and said that the Railway Ministry has taken commendable step to supply essentials in the market. It will also prove to be a good step for the industries too. During the coronavirus pandemic, this decision will prove to be one of the strongest steps for economic upheaval.
58 Routes are identified for Special Parcel Trains
It is for the first time that Railways has set such a large number of timetables for parcel trains. According to information received from the ministry, local industries, e-commerce companies, interested groups, individuals and any other potential loaders can book for parcel services. Since the lockdown began, 58 routes (109 trains) have been notified for special parcel trains. Transport of perishable agricultural and related field products such as eggs, fruits, vegetables, fish, milk and dairy products as well as medicines, medical equipment, masks, seeds for cultivation will be facilitated through the parcel train. Apart from this, the transportation of e-commerce consignment, packaged food items, books, stationery, packing materials etc. will also be made easier by on-demand parcel train.
Railways to give Facilities in These Cities
According to the sources from the Railways, proper connectivity has been ensured to Guwahati to ensure supply in the north-eastern region of the country. Other important cities connected through these trains are Bhopal, Allahabad, Dehradun, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Ranchi, Gorakhpur, Thiruvananthapuram, Salem, Warangal, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rourkela, Bilaspur, Bhusawal, Tatanagar, Jaipur, Jhansi, Agra, Nashik, Nagpur, Akola, Jalgaon, Surat, Pune, Raipur, Patna, Asansol, Kanpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Gwalior, Mathura, Nellore and Jabalpur. Indian Railways is also running other parcel trains as per customer demand, including ‘Milk Special’ from Palanpur (Gujarat) to Palwal (near Delhi) and Renigunta (AP) to Milk for Delhi, Kankaria.
Indian Railways have taken a major step to supply essential goods during the nationwide lockdown. As of April 5, 27 routes were identified, of which 17 routes are for regularly scheduled services, while the remaining routes are for single trips only. After this, 40 new routes have been identified and notified. Railways said that after this, almost all the important cities of India will be able to deliver the necessary goods rapidly.