Pandemonium prevailed on June 1 — the first day of the resumption of train services — in the State, more than two months after the imposition of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Railways had initially announced that the special trains, to be operational from June 1, would stop at all regular, intermediate stations.
A late-night release by the South Central Railway (SCR) stated that all intra-State movement of passengers by rail stands restricted. All passenger movements, where both the boarding and deboarding station falls within the State, stand restricted until further advice, the release said.
Chief Public Relations Officer of SCR Ch. Rakesh noted that full refund of the fare would be given to those who had booked tickets. They have been advised to cancel their tickets to get the refund.
Meanwhile, the Godavari Express from Visakhapatnam to Hyderabad, which was originally scheduled to begin its post-lockdown operations from June 2, was set to start running from June 1. East Coast Railway sources said, though they had planned to start operations from June 2, the SCR had already announced and started accepting bookings from June 1 itself. A rake was being arranged for today’s train, set to run in the evening.
The sources said they are awaiting communication from the Railway Board regarding withdrawal of halts at intermediate stations within the State. They, however, said that an official communication was expected later during the day. The Visakhapatnam-New Delhi AP Express is expected to leave Visakhapatnam Junction at 10 p.m. on June 1.
