ECoR, Bhubaneswar airport preparing to resume train, flight services
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BHUBANESWAR: Authorities of the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) are geared up to resume domestic flights from May 25.
Similarly, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) is prepared to start it’s time tabled trains from June 1. Both the authorities are in full preparedness to start the operations.
BPIA director VV Rao said they are taking measures to follow contact-less procedures in the airport to check spread of Covid-19. “We are ready since last week for operations of any kind of scheduled flight. We are taking care of the social distancing issues, sanitization of baggage and buses taking them to the flight. We are ensuring the touch-free mechanism in the airport,” he added.
Rao said while entering into the terminal, the security personnel will check the documents from the other side of the glass or using camera fitted with monitors. “We have marked circles where passengers can stand inside the circles to maintain social distancing. We have also arranged chairs in such a way, passengers can maintain distance between themselves. We are yet to get information regarding number of flights starting from Bhubaneswar,” he added.
Sources said web check-in is allowed in the place of physical check-in at the airport. Only asymptomatic people for Covid-19 will be allowed to travel. Passengers need to wear face mask and carry sanitizers.
Similarly, ECoR is preparing to run and receive 10 trains from June 1. Indian Railways has announced to run 200 new time tabled trains from June 1. Out of these, 10 trains will be run through Odisha. It will help passengers stranded in different parts of the country due to lockdown to return home.
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) sources said four trains will originate from the stations of its jurisdiction and three trains will pass through Odisha. Other three trains will be run soon.
The originating trains are Bhubaneswar-Mumbai Konark Express, Jan Shatabdi Express between Bhubaneswar and Howrah, Purushottam Express from Puri to New Delhi and Duronto from Puri to Sealdah (Kolkata).
The trains planned to run through ECoR jurisdiction are Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Dhanbad-Alleppey Express and Howrah-Yesvantpur Duranto.
“Apart from this, Howrah to Mumbai, Howrah to Ahmedabad and Howrah to Barbil Special trains will also run through Odisha. The routes and schedule of the above trains will be announced shortly,” said ECoR sources.
Passengers should buy tickets online because no tickets will be sold at any railway station. But ECoR is planning to open booking counters at selected stations to issue reservation tickets. The advance period for booking tickets in these trains will be 30 days, said the ECoR sources.
“RAC and Waitlist tickets can be generated in these trains but, after preparation of final passenger chart, wait list passengers can not be allowed to board the train. Tatkal Train Tickets will not also be generated in these trains,” said the official statement.
The ECoR will screen the passengers before boarding the trains. The passengers will follow all social distancing norms and maintain physical distance from their co-passengers.
Meanwhile, no Shramik Special train has left from Odisha to other states on Thursday. Only one train carrying migrant workers from Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu has reached Rourkela on Thursday.
One Shramik Special train left Erode in Tamil Nadu on Thursday for Balangir. Another train left Bolarum near Secunderabad for Balangir. These two trains are expected to reach their destinations on Friday.