TIRUCHY: The footfall at Tiruchy railway station, which stood at about 7.9 lakh passengers last month, is expected to increase further as the railway is likely to resume the services of more unreserved trains (or passenger trains) soon.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the railway station recorded an average passenger footfall of 16 lakh per month.
"The railway is running most of the reserved trains. But it is yet to resume about 30 unreserved trains, and the process has already begun to resume them.
Therefore, we are expecting the footfall at Tiruchy station to increase further in the coming days. During March 1-7, about 1.68 lakh passengers used the railway station. Once the railway resumes the remaining unreserved trains, the footfall will touch pre-pandemic levels in Tiruchy," an official said.
With passenger footfall on the rise in the station, sources said that the railway has directed its officials to keep strict vigil on Covid-19 safety violations. While a fine of `500 was imposed on 70 passengers for ignoring the use of face masks in February, Rs 42,000 was netted by the railway in fine between March 1 and March 10 alone, they added.
"We are taking action on those ignoring face masks as per the direction of the Indian Railway. While some people claim that many are roaming without face masks in public places, we told them that we will not tolerate such violations in railway stations, trains and railway premises," a source said.
The Covid-19 safety vigil has come in for appreciation. "Many are still getting infected by Covid. Therefore, the railway should continue taking action on those ignoring Covid norms. Apart from this, top officials should also speed up the steps to resume the services of the remaining trains," PK Kunjithapatham, a railway passenger from Thanjavur, said.