IRCTC's Tejas 'corporate trains' to resume services from October 17

IRCTC, on Wednesday, said that it will restart operations of its two Tejas Express trains from October 17 between Lucknow-New Delhi and Ahmedabad-Mumbai.

The services of these two trains were suspended on March 19 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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"Use of face covers/masks will be mandatory for passengers and staff. All travelers will install the Arogya Setu app and the same shall be shown as and when demanded. Detailed instructions will be given to the passengers at the time of booking of tickets," IRCTC said, outlining the standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed during the initial period because of the pandemic.

It said that every alternate seat on the two trains would be kept vacant to ensure social distancing and passengers would be thermally screened before entering the coach and not allowed to exchange their seats once seated.

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It also added that passengers would be provided a "Covid-19 protection kit". It would contain a bottle of hand sanitisers, one mask, one face shield, and one pair of gloves.

The coach, including the pantry areas and lavatories, will be disinfected at regular intervals. The luggage and baggage of the passengers would also be disinfected by a staff.

The two Tejas Express services are the first set of trains run by a corporate entity, IRCTC, a subsidiary of the Indian Railways. The third IRCTC-operated train, the Kashi Mahakal Express between Indore and Varanasi will however not begin its services yet.