Even as more than a thousand excited passengers set out from Mumbai Central on the very first special Rajdhani Express since the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed, information came in that all the seats were booked, making social distancing inside the air-conditioned train near impossible to maintain. However, the railways defended the move saying that the passengers had been doubly screened and made to wear masks.

The railways further said that maintaining social distancing inside the train and downloading the Aarogya Setu App were part of the guidelines. Speaking to mid-day, Western Railway chief public relations officer, Ravinder Bhakar, said, "All the passengers were screened before they boarded the train and only asymptomatic people have been allowed to travel. Proper norms of social distancing have been followed. In addition to this, masks have been made mandatory during travel and even downloading the Aarogya Setu app."