Bengaluru, May 25 (IANS): The South Western Railway (SWR) ferried 18,698 migrants in dozen special trains to their native place in north and north-east states from Karnataka, an official said on Sunday.

"We ran 12 Shramik specials from Karnataka through the day carrying 18,698 migrants, including workers, students and families who were stranded across this state due to extended lockdown since March 25 to check Covid spread," a zonal official told IANS here.

With the addition of Sunday's passengers, the zonal railway has operated 153 Shramik trains from the southern state (Karnataka) since May 3 and ferried over 2-lakh migrants to their home states in the northern and north-eastern regions.

First train left the main city station at 1.25 a.m. to Khurda Road in Odishaa with 1,977 migrants.

Second train left from Ashokapuram in Mysuru at 1.50 p.m. to Purnia in Bihar with 1,164 passengers.

Third train was from Bengaluru Cantonment (Cantt) to Muzzaffarpur in Bihar at 1.30 p.m. with 1,600 passengers.

Fourth train from Bengaluru Cantt to Katihar in Bihar at 4.25 p.m. with 1,520 migrants.

Fifth train from main city station to Bhadarak in Odisha at 4.33 p.m. with 1,600 passengers.

Sixth train from Chikkabanavar in the city's eastern suburb to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh at 6 p.m. with 1,584 passsengers.

Seventh train from Bengaluru Cantt to Darbangha in Bihar at 6 p.m. with 1,600 passengers.

Eighth from Hosur across the border in Tamil Nadu to Bhagalpur in Bihar at 6.10 p.m. with 1,810 migrants.

Ninth from Chikkabanavar to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh at 7.35 p.m. with 965 passengers.

Tenth train from Bengaluru Cantt to Barauni in Bihar at 7.50 p.m. with 1,500 passengers.

Eleventh from Hosur to Bhagalpur at 6.10 p.m. with 1,800 migrants and 12th from the city's main station to Balasore in Odisha at 8.55 p.m., with 1,578 passengers.

"All passengers were provided fruits, vegetable pulav, chapatti, a boiled egg, buttermilk, a pineapple and three literes of water bottle," the official added.