Planning a train outing? Railway Ministry instructs to follow state-wise guidelines

The Ministry of Railways recently published a declaration instructing travellers to be cautious of the health advisory guidelines that have been published by different states. This has come as COVID cases rising in India.

As per the tweet, the Ministry declared that in the track of COVID, passengers are instructed to go through the health advisory guidelines published by various states before the beginning of their trip to these states.

Reportedly, some states have already put into position the provision of RT-PCR test within 72-96 hours of train arrival. Thus, it is instructed that passengers investigate the following before scheduling a trip via train, such as checking the particular guidelines laid out by the said states, and ensure if RT-PCR tests are obliged before travelling.

Reportedly, while the Rajasthan state government made COVID-negative reports necessary for those arriving from Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, Udaipur made negative reports mandatory for those arriving from six states, namely Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. Similarly, various other states have also made RT-PCR tests compulsory for travellers. 

Meanwhile, apart from the statewide health guidelines, the Railway Ministry further informed that administrations won’t be allowing any passenger on the trains without the face masks. Also, passengers will be obliged to obey proper social distancing and sanitisation procedures. Further, Indian Railways is all set to launch its Zero-based Time Table, which will be reducing the standard travel time of long-distance trains between 30 min and 6 hours.