Mumbai local trains gear up for Day 1

The Mumbai railways on Sunday announced that they had geared up fully for the reopening of the suburban railway network in Mumbai from February 1 to all passengersA train being cleaned PicsSatej Shinde Bipin KokateA railway spokesperson said that all the authorised entryexit gates lifts escalators footover bridges closed due to COVID19 all commercial ticket counters and ATVM machines for booking will be opened This is in addition to the UTS on mobile app for fresh ticketing A few new foot bridges that were completed in the lockdown period will add to the capacityldquoOnly for season ticket extension and renewals commuters will have to visit the ticket booking counters otherwise fresh ticketing can be done on the UTS apprdquo he saidldquoApart from this there will be more deployment of security forces at crowdsensitive stations and assistance of local police is being taken to manage crowds outside Since wearing of masks is compulsory in coordination with the municipal corporation there will be drives about it Random checking of tickets will be done to see that people are travelling as per the scheduled time given he addedldquoSuburban trains have been restored to 95 37 capacity with 1685 services on Central Railway and 1300 services on the Western Railway Teams have also been formed for regular sanitisation of the additional trains pressed into service for reopening with focus on public contact areasrdquo he saidIn addition to this awareness measures like continuous announcements asking people to follow all COVID19 mandated norms protocols will be made as also additional posters to create awareness about these rules will be put up Wherever possible there will be efforts to segregate incoming and outgoing passengers at stations and termini so that there is no crowdingAs locals start MSRTC takes back 100 busesFollowing the resumption of local trains the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC has decided to withdraw 100 of its buses from the BEST fleet considering the shortage of buses in its statewide operations These buses were part of a total of 1000 buses that the BEST had been provided on lease to ferry officegoers during peak hours in Mumbai As per the existing arrangements the buses were being used on BEST routes and after the trips the money was deposited at BEST depots and buses taken for parking to MSRTC depotsWhat to expectgtgt Entryexit gates will be manned and random checking will be done in coordination with GRP and ticketing staff to prevent entry of unauthorised people in railway areagtgt Maximum staff to be deployed on the field like platforms FOBS entryexit points and other vital locationsgtgt Staff deployed for duties at strategic locations will be provided with walkie talkies whistles ropes barricades and loud speakersgtgt Platform staff briefed regarding the nature of duties and to behave gently with passengers in all situationsgtgt Wearing of masks compulsory and a fine to be imposed on passengers found not wearing masks in coordination with BMC authorities and GRPgtgt Staff deployed at booking offices with rope and barricades for social distancinggtgt Coordination with medical department to arrange teams at all major stations for any eventualitygtgt Staff deployed at CCTV monitoring room to relay simultaneous information to all concerned to avoid gathering of passengers and maintain social distancingFAQs by commutersIf I board the train at 6am and reach midway by 7am will I be asked to deboardNo The idea is to start the journey before 7am and it can be completed with proper ticketsWhat happens to lady commuters now Will they be allowed to travel in the earlier time slot 11am to 3pm and 7pm onwardsThere is no change in existing time slots and the new ones are for general male commutersWill mobile tickets be availableYes Mobile UTS ticketing will be opened and general commuters allowed in the permitted time slots For season ticket renewals one will have to visit booking windowsI will be switching trains from main line to harbour line or from CR to WR after 7am will that be permittedYes The idea is to be inside the railway station premises by 7 am