Mumbai local train update: As Maharashtra government tightens curbs, only these passengers can travel

Amid rising coronavirus COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the state government on Wednesday (April 21) issued new stricter restrictions under 'Break the Chain' initiative to curb the spread of the dedly virus. It is to be noted that Maharashtra is the worst affected state by covid. The new restrictions announced by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra will come into force from 8 pm on 22 April till 7am on 1 May.

Here are the latest restrictions on public transport(including monorail and metro rail )across Maharashtra:

- All govt personnel(State/Central/local), Tickets/passes to be issued on the basis of govt-issued identity card for traveling in the sub-urban trains.
- All medical personnel(Doctors/Paramedics/lab technicians/hospitals and medical clinic staff etc). Tickets pass to be issued on the basis of identity card issued by the concerned medical organization.
- Any person needing medical treatment or specially-abled persons and one person accompanying the needy.
- State govt or local government-owned public buses shall ply at 50% of the capacity. No passengers will stand inside the buses.

It is to be noted that 2,985 local train services are currently being operated on the Mumbai suburban network. These constitute about 95% of the total 3,141 services. The Mumbai local trains were being operated collectively by the Central Railway (CR) and the Western Railway (WR) before the COVID-19 pandemic, railway officials said.

The state government also imposed stricter curbs for inter-city or inter-district travel by long-distance trains and buses.

- At the stoppages where passengers are alighting, all passengers shall be stamped on the hand for 14 days home quarantine.

- It is the duty of local railway officers/MSRTC officers to provide all the information that the local Disaster Management Authority may require for screening the people travelling by these trains