New Delhi: The Central Railways is awaiting a go-ahead from authorities to resume suburban train services in Mumbai for essential workers and government staff starting this week according to reports.
The suburban trains, however, will operate only to ferry essential workers to their workplace and back.
Several interdepartmental meetings have taken place to discuss the details for resuming suburban train operations for staffers, according to the Indian Express. Senior officials of Central Railways had also held a meeting on Saturday to work out the details for the same.
Another meeting with the operations department had been scheduled for today to finalise the number of services and the norms to be put into place in order to maintain social distancing.
These trains are likely to run according to a system similar to the Shramik Specials, Times of India reported.
A plan for resuming the trains has been put into place awaiting a nod from authorities after consultation with the Railway Board as per reports.
Ticket counters will not be opening while ticket-checkers have been asked to report for duty on Monday at their headquarters with QR code scanners installed in their phones, the report said. Ticket Cchekrs are likely to be provided with PPEs.
The trains are likely to operate like fast trains and stop only at those stations where fast trains were usually halted, TOI reported.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has previously emphasized on the need for instating suburban train services which had been suspended since March 23 in a bid to curb lockdown. Thackeray had urged the government to allow restarting of the services for staffers as per reports.
As part of Unlock 1.0 the state had relaxed certain restrictions with BEST buses witnessing huge crowds recently with many seeing flouting social distancing norms increasing the need for suburban trains, TOI reported.
The services, if approved, could resume as soon as Monday, Indian Express reported.