Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, 12 metro trains in 18 cities of the country which were closed for five and a half months will start operating. But the metro and mono rail of Maharashtra has not yet been allowed to run. While the Delhi Metro Rail will start operations in five phases of three stages. On September 7, the Yellow Line and Gurgaon’s Rapid Metro will run. While on September 9, Blue Line trains will start running.
Delhi Metro will be operational in five phases of three stages
Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that Delhi Metro’s operations will be increased in a sequential manner. During this time it will be mandatory for the passengers to follow the guidelines.
- It is necessary for every passenger to wear a mask for traveling on the metro rail. If you arrive without a mask, you have to buy expensive masks from station to station.
- The use of sanitizer at the metro stations will be allowed to stand at the marked locations to maintain a second distance.
- New smart cards with auto top-up facility, stickers on social distancing norms will be pasted on seats and platform floors.
- The central control room will be monitored closely due to 100% video coverage. There will be no violation of guidelines and stoppage of trains at stations with faults.
- Among other measures, red lines have been drawn at regular intervals next to AFC gates and security checking gates, just before commuters enter near the platform area.
- Trains will halt for longer duration than on regular days to allow commuters to board coaches and alight from it while maintaining physical distance.
- Containment zone stations will remain closed.
- One train coach can accommodate about 50 passengers on seats and a total of nearly 300 riders in the entire compartment, including standing commuters. With social distancing norms, this number will reduce drastically.
- The frequency of trains can be increased from two and a half minutes to five minutes. Trains will be sanitized after every round.
- On platform floors, large stickers bearing ‘Ensure Social Distancing’ message have been pasted at regular intervals, with a while circle bordered by an outer red circle, to alert commuters.
- All employees of the Metro Rail Security Force will be subjected to thermal checks.
Travel can only be done on smart card
Urban Development Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra said that tokens will not be issued for the yatra in respect of infection prevention. Travel can only be done on smart card. All travelers will be encouraged to download the Arogya Setu App. One week of operations will be reviewed. Mishra said that on September 12, Delhi Metro will become fully operational.
Managing Director of Delhi Metro, Dr. Mangu Singh said that on September 7, the first train will run on line number two. While on September 9, three, four and seven number line trains will start. In the first phase, trains will also operate from 7 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 8 pm, which will be gradually increased. On September 12, Airport Express will start running.
Arrangements have been made to open only the selected gates at the stations. Smart card charging can also be done online. Line-1 of Mumbai in Maharashtra, metro and Mono Rail of Nagpur will be operational in October. Its decision has been left to the state government.
