Spirits pick up as trains start chugging

Having lost all hope amid lockdown, they are now excited to celebrate Eid with their families

KARACHI: It had been days since the ornate façade of Karachi Cantonment Railway Station had seen much activity during the otherwise last few busy days of Ramazan. Dust had settled over the colonial structure as the melee died down and train services across the country remained suspended amid fears of the life-threatening coronavirus.

And so, the usually bustling train station stood deserted, under a spell of an eerie stillness and calm, cloaked in gloom.

The mood was reflective of the distress of scores of people, who had come to Karachi in search of livelihood and waited the entire year to celebrate Eid with their families in their hometowns.

And just as the announcement of the suspension of train services had dampened their spirits, their enthusiasm and hopes picked up as they heard about train engines starting up again.

"We were stuck here [in Karachi] due to the lockdown," said one of the passengers at the station, ready to board a train to his hometown after the government announced the lifting of restrictions on train services starting Wednesday. "I can now go back home and celebrate Eid with my family," he said, he voice brimming with excitement from behind a face mask.

Another passenger sounded relieved at the restoration of train service. Sharing his agony of the past few days, he related, "I, as many others, was greatly troubled by the lockdown. Survival was difficult due to the loss of work as it is and I had no idea how I would be able to afford a taxi to visit my family for Eid."

He went on to say that a round trip to his hometown and back to Karachi via a taxi, given the current fares, meant spending no less than Rs5,000. "Not many could have easily afforded it," he remarked.

Trains set in motion across country

These passengers were among the first few who boarded one of the 11 trains that left Karachi for other cities on Wednesday after the restoration of train services, leaving behind the torment of the lockdown in the city, even if transiently.

The first train to depart was Awam Express that left the station at 10am sharp for Peshawar, carrying 468 passengers. It was followed by Tezgam that left the station at 6pm, Shah Hussain Express that departed an hour later at 7pm, Green Line that left at 9pm, Sukkur Express that departed at 9.30pm and Khyber Mail, the last one to leave the station at 10pm.

Precautionary measures

However, keeping in view the rapid spread of the pandemic, railway authorities ensured that precautionary measures were duly observed by passengers throughout the day.

As part of these measures, cars were restricted from entering the premise of the station and passengers were only permitted to enter after they were sprayed with disinfectant. Care was also taken to ensure that all passengers wore face masks and gloves and carried their separate towels, soaps and sanitisers.

Platforms at the station remained relatively quiet and clear with visitors not being allowed to see off passengers, who were asked to arrive at the station an hour before the time of departure so that they may get on board the trains without much delay.

The passengers were made to pass through disinfectant gates and have their body temperatures checked before entering the station.

Speaking in this regard, railways divisional superintendent Arshad Islam Khattak assured that railways officials would ensure all precautionary measures were being properly observed, adding that care would be taken to observe precautionary guidelines during the journey as well.

"Moreover, isolation wards have been set up in every train and each locomotive has been equipped with medical facilities in case any passenger falls sick," he told the media.

According to Khattak, only 60 per cent of the seats of each train are available for booking so that passengers can observe social distancing. Booking can only be made online.

He said that the suspension of train services for a period of almost two months had resulted in a loss of Rs2.5 billion to Rs3 billion.