Over 200 such trains have been operated between May 1 and June 14, according to the Railway Board.

Over 60 lakh migrant workers had been transported home by the Shramik Special trains since May 1.

Till June 14, 222 such trains had been operated, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said during an online briefing on Monday.

On June 3, state governments had been asked about their requirement for more such trains which could be provided within 24 hours of a request being received.

This was after the Supreme Court directed the central government to make sure that people who were still stranded were transported home. The Indian Railways had received a demand for 171 Shramik Specials after that, the Railway Board Chairman said.

Meanwhile, Central and Western Railway began running some suburban trains for essential workers in Mumbai on Monday. These services are, however, not available to general commuters at the moment. Suburban trains began running in Mumbai after a gap of 85 days.

Isolation coaches to be used for mild Covid-19 cases

States will use isolation coaches readied by Indian Railways for suspected and confirmed Covid-19 patients exhibiting mild symptoms once they run out of beds at existing hospitals and healthcare facilities.

These patients will be kept under observation and referred to a hospital if needed, Yadav said.

Delhi, which has been witnessing a spike in the number of conformed coronavirus cases, is being allocated about 500 such cases after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the situation in the national capital on Sunday. Fifty such coaches with about 800 beds have already been stationed at Delhi’s Shakur Basti railway station.

Suspected and confirmed cases of Covid-19 will be kept in separate coaches as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. All of them will be attached to a designated hospital.

The Railways has received a demand for these coaches from Uttar Pradesh and Telangana in addition to the Delhi government.

Coaches will be allocated to other states as and when they request for them, the Railway Board Chairman said.