New Delhi: More than five months after the metro services were stopped in the cities amid coronavirus restrictions, it is set to resume from today following safety measures. The metro will operate under strict guidelines following social distancing. It has been made mandatory for people to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phone and will undergo thermal checks at of stations.
Metro authorities in cities like Delhi, Noida, Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Mumbai Line-1, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Maha Metro (Nagpur), Kolkata, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have prepared their standard operating procedures following centre's guidelines. Meanwhile, being the worst-hit state due to coronavirus, Maharashtra will not be resuming metro operation this month.
The metros stations and train have been properly sanitized to avoid the threat of virus spread and arrangements have been made for the passengers to sit on alternate seats in the train or stand, maintaining a gap of one meter. Stripe markers have also been provided at all queuing area like frisking, ticketing, AFC gates, lift, escalators. The metro authorities have regulated the frequency of trains to avoid crowding at stations
In Delhi, the Yellow Line (Samyapur Badli to HUDA City Centre) will be opened. Over a period of next five days i.e, by 12th September, rest of the Lines will also be made operational with all safety measures in place to check the spread of COVID-19 in the Metro premises which requires everyone to follow a new normal of social distancing, face mask and hand sanitisation.
As per the DMRC guidelines, trains will be sanitised at terminal stations. Similarly, once they are back to Depots after the end of the day, the trains will again be thoroughly sanitised. Also, the train doors will be kept open at terminal stations to let fresh air into the trains.
Apart from regular frontline staff at the stations, DMRC has made additional deployment of around 1000 officials/staff across the line(s)/network to assist and guide passengers. The Delhi Metro authorities have also advised passengers to earmark extra time for travel as the carrying capacity of each train will be "drastically reduced to around 20 per cent of the pre-lockdown period due to social distancing norms".
