Kochi: The services of several express trains have been restored in the state now, a year after they were suspended as the country shut down all forms of public transport to combat COVID-19.
The Mangalore-Thiruvananthapuram Malabar Express, Tirunelveli-Gandhidham Hum Safar Express, Kochuveli–Bhavnagar Express, Porbandar-Kochuveli Express, Ernakulam-Hatia Express, Kochuveli-Mangalore Antyodaya Express, and Kochuveli-Lokmanya Tilak Superfast Express began services on Thursday.
The Kochuveli-Indore Express will begin service from Friday. The Chandigarh-Kochuveli Sampark Kranti Express will resume service on July 7 and the Amritsar-Kochuveli Express on July 11.
It was on March 22, 2020, the Indian Railways had announced the closure of all passenger rail services across the nation in an unprecedented step as part of the national lockdown. Initially, the services were stopped until March 31, but with the COVID-19 pandemic worsening in the next several months, the services remain suspended. The government allowed the resumption of train services from June 1, this year, in a graded manner though several special trains have been running for the past few months.
