Buzz back at India’s busiest station after nearly 2 months
KOLKATA: Arunava Roy, a 57-yearold railway official, did not remember when he last carried his own food and blanket during a train journey. Tuesday was different.
Wearing a pair of gloves, a mask and a face shield, Roy, the deputy superintendent of a special train leaving Howrah, sounded a bit anxious while he also pointed out that he had to respond to the call of duty. “I am a bit apprehensive as I will be travelling with more than a thousand passengers. But this is my duty and I am happy that I am among the few officials boarding one of the first special passenger trains that started during the lockdown,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Howrah station, built in 1854 and having 24 platforms, flagged off its first pasdestination. senger train since March 22, the day the government prohibited the service as part of a strategy to slow the spread of the Covid-19.
The train left Howrah at 5:05pm with full capacity — 1,028 passengers were on board — and is scheduled to reach New Delhi around 10 am on Wednesday..
The station — India’s oldest and busiest — slowly began coming back to life around 2pm on Tuesday. Federal guidelines have asked passengers to reach stations at least 90 minutes prior to the journey for thermal screening and security clearance.
The station complex, which usually registers an average footfall of one million passengers every day, fell silent within minutes of the train leaving for its No stalls or booths on platforms were open, and vending activity was not allowed.
The train will stop at Asansol, Dhanbad, Parasnath, Gaya, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Junction (Mughal Sarai), Prayagraj (Allahabad) and Kanpur stations.
Instead of the usual chaotic scenes and the never-ending rush of passengers, commuters could be seen standing in queues, wearing masks.
The Railway Protection Force and the police could be seen constantly reminding people to maintain social distancing. The constant buzz of announcements about arrival and departure of trains was missing. “Only those who had confirmed tickets were allowed. First, we were screened with thermal guns. If anyone had above-normal temperature, he was checked by doctors. ,” said Bunty Singh, a passenger who was heading for Mughal Sarai.“I have never seen Howrah station like this before. Usually, 455 local trains and around 130 mail and express trains arrive and depart every day. Out of this, around eight leave for Delhi. But now we have only one train leaving for Delhi. ,” said I Khan, divisional railway manager of Howrah. The last train to have arrived at Howrah before the 51-day interruption was the 12937 Garbha Express on March 23. It left Gandhidham junction in Gujarat on March 21.
On Tuesday, there were people who tried to enter the station in the hope of boarding the train, but were turned back since authorities are allowing only those with confirmed tickets. “I needed to go back to Gaya. My employer and landlord have dumped me. I have no money left...,” said Deepak Kumar Singh, who came with his pregnant wife and two children.