The lifeline of the Mumbai city, the local trains, has been shut for over 3 months now following the adverse spread of COVID-19 in the country. However, in what comes as a sigh of relief for Mumbaikars, there are reports of local train services resuming from September 1.
As per a recent media report that has been doing rounds, the local train services in Mumbai are expected to get rolling from September 1 after remaining closed for the first time ever in the 46-year long history.
While the announcement is yet to be made official, it is speculated that the Ministry of Home Affairs might release safety guidelines for the resuming of local train services in Mumbai, on August 31.
Prior to these speculations and reports, the Maharashtra government had started running local trains in the suburban areas of the city for people who were identified to be belonging to the essential service category. As much as 125,000 employees were recognized to be a part of the essential services of the state government and were the only ones allowed to board the local trains running in the city. The initial list did not include bank employees and media persons as a part of essential service employees. However, recently journalists were also allowed to board the train.
The Indian railways have been witnessing a significant loss in the passenger service department due to the restricted movement of trains & passengers. In such a situation, the resuming local trains can help the national transporter big time.