The news of Shramik Special trains being stranded at a place for hours without food & water has been doing round for past some time. In a bid to combat the controversy of network congestion, the Indian Railways has come up with route rationalization focusing on the undertaking of diverted or alternative routes.
The step has been taken up by the Indian Railways in order to prevent these Shramik Special trains from being stranded at a particular spot without food and water.
As per the statement of a railway official given to the media, the rationalization of routes is done to avoid any last moment surprises for the railway commission. Moreover, it is done keeping in mind better planning of food & water supply for the train en-route.
“At the source station, boarding is taking a long time after concluding all health protocol. So if a train misses its scheduled path set by us, it has to eat into or share another train’s path,” a senior official said. “Places like Gorakhpur, which do not have the terminal capacity to receive so many trains in quick succession, take time to release platforms. This results in piling up of trains.”
The Shramik Special trains were started for helping stranded migrants including students, laborers, etc., reach their homes during the tough times of coronavirus. Until Monday a total of 3,274 Shramik Special trains were run which transported about 44 lakh passengers.