Crowds & Chaos On Day 1 As ‘Special Trains’ Leave New Delhi
Railway Services Resume: 15 ‘special trains’ took thousands of stranded people back home.
Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
The Paharganj gate of New Delhi Railway Station was choked with passengers. All glad to be finally heading home after being stranded in Delhi thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown. The line of passengers stretched for almost a kilometre outside the station. These were the scenes on Day 1 as the government partially resumed railway services with 15 ‘special trains’ leaving Delhi for the first time since the lockdown was imposed on 24 March 2020.
Railway officials said that over 3,400 passengers left New Delhi Tuesday.
The police were stretched in trying to make sure that people maintained 'social distance'. Local volunteers pitched in providing food, water and sanitation material to people.
With the lockdown still in force across Delhi, many passengers had difficulty reaching the railway station. Some walked several kilometres all the way to the railway station, some hitched rides with delivery boys, we even met someone who had hitchhiked all the way from Aligarh.
Heard About Services Resuming, Migrants Reached Without Ticket
The Quint also met many migrants who did not have the money to book tickets, but still turned up at the railway station. Many of them in the hope that the government may do something for them.
Many who turned up at the New Delhi station were unaware of the procedure and ended up going to travel agents who were having a field day charging upto double the price of a ticket.
Some passengers also talked about the problems they faced while booking their tickets with the IRCTC website crashing multiple times yesterday.
Passengers Learnt The Guidelines By Heart
There were also passengers fully aware of the guidelines issued by the government. From gloves, to masks, to social distancing, to also downloading the Aarogya Setu App. Some passengers told The Quint that whether the app was mandatory or not was a secondary matter, they had preferred to install it in their mobiles so that they could be alerted about potential COVID-19 patients near them.
After months of being stranded by the COVID-19 lockdown, despite the chaos at the railway station, most passengers were simply happy to be heading home.
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