In a big announcement, the Indian Railways has decided to resume operations of passenger trains gradually from May 12 initially with 15 pairs of trains (30 return journeys). These trains will be run as special trains from New Delhi station connecting 15 important cities of the country. Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Trivandrum, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi.
Booking for reservation will start at 4 pm on 11 May and will be available only on IRCTC website. Ticket booking counters at stations will remain closed and no counter tickets, including platform tickets, will be issued. Only passengers with valid confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway stations. In line with the government's hygiene norms, it will be mandatory for passengers to wear face cover. They will also have to undergo screening at departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train. Further details including train schedule will be issued separately in due course, the Ministry said.