Railways has run more than 2,813 Shramik Special trains, carrying over 37 lakh passengers till date. Nearly 60 per cent trains originated from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab are majorly destined for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Railways has started running Shramik Special trains since 1st of this month to facilitate migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places due to the nationwide lockdown. Railway Ministry said, 80 per cent of total Shramik trains are destined for various destinations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Most of the destinations in Uttar Pradesh are around Lucknow – Gorakhpur sector and in Bihar around Patna.

The Ministry said, convergence of trains to these destinations caused congestion in the network. Further, increased time taken in de-boarding of passengers due to the various health and social distancing protocols at the stations is leading to congestion at terminals.

To ease the congestion, few trains were diverted via Mathura, Jharsuguda. The Ministry said, round the clock monitoring at Railway Board, zonal railway and divisional level is being done to ensure that trains are not delayed. The train running staff have also been sensitised to ensure punctual running of Shramik Special  trains.

IRCTC and Railways have mobilized resources to ensure regular supply of meals and water to the Shramik trains and minimize inconvenience to the passengers.