A total of 1,198 persons reached Dhanbad station from Surat by a special, 22-coach Pravasi Express (09343) train around 3.45am on Thursday.

The migrant workers and their family members were sent to their respective districts in buses and other vehicles after their thermal scanning was done.

Another 1,233 passengers had reached Dhanbad from Surat on Wednesday. The ones who returned on Thursday also said that they had to pay their train fare.

“We somehow returned paying Rs 715 per ticket,” said Arvind Kumar Verma of Jamua in Giridih. “I was working in the accounts department of a private firm and returned with my pregnant wife. Due to closure of markets in Surat during the lockdown my firm also had to stop operations. The first month of the lockdown was not very difficult but later we were in dire straits.”

Narayan Kumar, also from Giridih, said: “I used work as a labourer in a garment factory but was without work ever since the lockdown was imposed.”

Senior officials of the district administration, police and railways were present at the station to supervise the evacuation of the passengers from the railway station following social distancing norms.

The officials, including deputy development commissioner Balkishun Munda, city superintendent of police R. Ramkumar and senior commandant of Railway Protection Force Hemant Kumar, handed over roses, food packet and masks to each of the passengers.

The workers were transported to their respective places on 46 large buses, one small bus and nine smaller four-wheelers.

A health department team led by civil surgeon Dr Gopal Das screened the passengers before they were sent off.

The maximum number, 1,094, belonged to Giridih. There were also passengers who headed out to Koderma, Palamau, Hazaribagh, Deoghar, Chatra, Latehar, Garhwa, Jamtara, Simdega and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts.

The train started from Surat at around 12.30am on May 5.