Mumbai local train services resume for all with timing restrictions

As suburban trains are the lifeline for Mumbaikars, there was a growing demand to resume services for all.

Local train services in the Mumbai region resumed for the general public from Monday. The announcement in this regard was made by Union railways minister Piyush Goyal after the Maharashtra government proposed to resume the services for all commuters.

The services of the local trains were resumed for the emergency and essential services staff in June last year.

Travel by local trains, lifeline for millions of people living in Mumbai and surrounding satellite towns, was severely restricted after the coronavirus outbreak in March 2020.

As suburban trains are the lifeline for Mumbaikars, there was a growing demand to resume services for all. The government took a measured approach to reopen the services as the state has been hit the worst by the Covid-19 pandemic. In phased unlocking, the government allowed emergency staff, teaching, non-teaching staff, practising lawyers, women passengers, disabled people to travel by local trains. But so far, it was not open for all.

Goyal had informed on Friday that local trains will be available in three time slots - from the start of the day's services to 7am; 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm; and 9:00 pm to the end of the day.

As per the instructions of the Maharashtra government, between 7:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm only those engaged in essential services will be allowed to travel, the railway minister said.

"I urge all of you to follow all the necessary rules and guidelines related to coronavirus during the journey. Any kind of negligence can become a problem for us and others as well. If you will be safe, then everyone traveling with you will be safe," Goyal said.

The services of the local trains were resumed for the emergency and essential services staff in June last year. Later on, the authorities permitted women to travel in locals during the non-peak hours.

Before the pandemic struck, the Central Railway was operating 1,774 suburban services daily, while the Western Railway operated 1,367 services.

Currently, the two railway authorities are operating 2,985 services, about 95 per cent of the total 3,141 services, on Mumbai's suburban network. Of these, 204 special suburban services were added on Friday morning.

The state government said in its circular about local trains that it will request all establishments to stagger their work schedule so that employees can benefit from the new schedule.