The Southern Railways have on Thursday announced the resumption of Chennai suburban train services and the trains are permitted to transport the people that are listed by the railway board. The significant resumption has come when Tamil Nadu is unlocking the complete lockdown after a sharp decline in the COVID-19 cases. The announcement has been made as per the state government lockdown guidelines issued on June 20. 

According to reports, the suburban train services will be resumed from June 25 and the Southern Railways had said that only people who fall under specific categories will be allowed to travel in the suburban train services and the guidelines were akin to the measures that were imposed on the functioning of the suburban train services during the first wave of the pandemic. 

As per the new guidelines that will come to effect on June 25 in parallel with the resumption, women will be allowed to travel on these trains while several conditions were imposed on men. What are the different categories of passengers and types of tickets? The different categories of passengers are - staff of public sector units, state and central governments, High court and other judicial bodies, staff of private sector and other sectors will be allowed to travel on the suburban trains with a permission letter from their respective employers and their ID proofs. 

On the front of tickets, the passengers will be issued with single and return tickets, and as per requirements, seasonal tickets will be issued. As per the guidelines, passengers with a reserved ticket in a mail or express train either travelling to the home or to any other place after completing their journey or travelling in the suburban trains to a railway station for boarding the express trains will be allowed to travel through the day and such passengers will be issued only single tickets. 

The Southern Railways had also issued to stern warning that if people are found not wearing masks in the railway premises or onboard the suburban train, they will be fined Rs 500, and passengers are not permitted to crowd at the time of boarding and they have to maintain physical distancing in train and in the station premises. 

The railway board had also appealed to the commuters to refrain from travelling if they had tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection or experiencing symptoms. The board had permitted the female passengers, travelling for any purpose, to travel throughout the service hours and they will also be issued single and return tickets or season tickets.

Children below the age of 12 can also travel when accompanied by women passengers. However, male passengers will only be allowed to travel during the non-peak hours and will only be issued single journey tickets. As per the guidelines, non-peak hours are early hours in the morning until 7 am, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, and from 7 pm till the closing hours of the train services.