COVID-19: Southern Railways to operate daily services of cargo trains

Southern Railway zone (SR) worker prepares beds for an isolation ward of Railway Hospital in the view of coronavirus outbreak, during a nationwide lockdown, in Chennai, Monday, March 30, 2020. (PTI Photo)

The Southern Railways on Tuesday announced that it would operate daily services of cargo trains connecting destinations to ensure that essential commodities reached on time.

Earlier, it operated the parcel cargo express operated as weekly service between Chennai Central and New Delhi. It has been made as a daily service now, an official said. The train would comprise five high capacity parcel vans and one luggage cum brake van.

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Similarly, 12 services of Chennai Egmore and Nagercoil Parcel Express and 12 services of Chennai-Coimbatore Parcel Cargo Express Specials would also be operated everyday.

"This is mainly to ensure that the essential services reach the cities (on time)..", an official said.

The trains would be operated from April 9 to 14, the Southern Railway said. In a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus, Tamil Nadu government which had initially announced the shutdown till March 31 extended it till April 14 in line with the national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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