Mumbai Local Train latest news: BMC's BIG plan for fully vaccinated passengers - details here

In what comes as important news for passengers of local trains in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said it is planning to relax restrictions in local trains for those fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 in the second phase of the unlocking. The BMC added that the final decision, however, will b taken by the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government.

BMC made this request after new guidelines stated that fully vaccinated domestic passengers will be exempted from carrying negative RT-PCR reports when they enter Mumbai airport. 

BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal told India today the COVID situation in Mumbai is under control and all are in a very comfortable position at the moment.

The BMC chief said that the decision on relaxing restrictions for local train passengers would be taken in the second phase.

Giving further details, he said in local trains, most Rapid Antigen tests are being done and there is surveillance and random tests at the present moment. However, he added that it is not possible to have an RT-PCR test for lakhs for passengers in the trains. “But this too would be taken up in the second phase,” he said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope had recently said that the Mumbai local trains might get started soon. Health Minister Tope said that train services might resume if the state of Maharashtra speeds up its vaccination process for which the Centre has to supply the vaccines in ample quantity. 

Health Minister Tope also said that Maharashtra districts have been brought under level-3 and that there is a big question of how Mumbai local train passengers will travel. He also added that the workers and journalists are demanding that local trains should be started. 

India.com quoted Health Minister Tope as saying, "If we want to bring the economy back on track, we will have to give utmost importance to vaccination."