Suburban rail services are returning to major cities, much to the relief of daily commuters. As you might be aware, rail authorities have been careful not to unlock local trains all at once, lest it trigger a new wave of infections.
However, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad have managed to keep their COVID positivity rate under 5% in June. This has created room to restart local trains in the following ways:
Mumbai: ‘Universal’ pass launched for local trains
Maharashtra is working with the Railways to bring out a QR code-based ‘Universal Travel Pass’ that will allow commuters in and around Mumbai to access local trains, the Mumbai Metro and monorail services with a single registration.
As of now, only emergency and essential workers can travel on local trains with an ID card. But with the new system, employees across various sectors will be able to board trains for their daily commute. Each pass will mention the degree of access provided to its holder, based on 5 levels of municipal restrictions.
For example, a person with a Degree 3 pass will be able to travel if the restrictions in place are of level 1, 2 or 3. A Degree 2 pass holder can travel only during level 1 or level 2 restrictions. A Degree 5 pass holder will be able to use the services across all levels.
The QR code on each pass will be checked at railway stations under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region using a smartphone or QR code reader. To get the pass, commuters can register online on msdmacov19.mahait.org
Chennai: Suburban trains partially resumed
The Southern Railway has restored local train services that connect Chennai and its outskirts for five different categories of passengers. Effective June 25, these are the rules:
For male passengers (category 5), the ‘non-peak hours’ will mean the early hours of the day to 7 am, from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, and from 7 pm to the closing hours of the day.
Hyderabad: MMTS services restored after 15 months
The South Central Railway has resumed MMTS (Multi-Modal Train System) services across the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The suburban trains had been suspended in March 2020, but have been gradually restored since last week. As of July 1, 55 daily trains are available for commuters.
See the timetable here:
TIME TABLE FOR #MMTS SERVICES RESUMED FROM 01st JULY, 2021#TwinCities #Hyderabad #Secunderabad @drmsecunderabad @drmhyb pic.twitter.com/IvxysyBs7m
— South Central Railway (@SCRailwayIndia) June 30, 2021
Before using these trains, you can check the local timetables and metro routes for major cities in the ‘Local & Metro’ tab of the ixigo trains app. Give it a try today!
