The country’s first metro railway network, the Kolkata Metro Railway which was suspended in the end of March because of the total lockdown in the country because of the threat of Covid-19., will resume its services for the general public from 14 September.
The metro rail service will begin in a graded manner and initially, the metro services will be available from 8 am to 8 pm.
The Kolkata Metro is also said to be running special services for NEET Students on 13th September. This service will be entirely for medical entrance examinees and their guardians, Metro Railway spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said. The examinees will have to show their admit cards at the entrance of the Metro gates in order to board the train.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted about the recommencement of the Kolkata Metro.
📣 Helping students in time of need, Kolkata Metro to run special services for NEET aspirants & their parents on 13th September.
Enhancing convenience for general passengers, Metro Services will resume in a graded manner from 14th September between 8am to 8pm. pic.twitter.com/qlPIX7EtDT
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) September 9, 2020
For the service of the general public, the trains will begin on September 14 with strict SOPs to be followed.
– The passengers will have to wear masks covering their face and nose.
– Sanitizing their hands from sanitizer dispensers placed at each platform before boarding a train is a must.
– Only Smart Cards must be used for travel, no token will be used. The Aarogya Setu App on their phones is mandatory.
– Thermal screening of the body temperatures of passengers will be done at the entrance. The Entry and Exit gates have also been specified again.
– The people spitting at the station will be penalized.
– Maximum 400 passengers in a train at once.
– Color-coded e-passes will be given to passengers on their phones to maintain the number.
– Only 3 passengers will be allowed in lifts at stations at a time.
– The train will haul for 30 seconds instead of 20 at the stations.
The Metro authorities said that passengers having symptoms of fever, cough or cold should not travel on its trains. It also advised elders and children against travelling by a Metro train.
It said that passengers will not occupy the seats in the coaches which are marked X.
General Manager of Kolkata Metro Railway Manoj Joshi inspected all the stations between Park Street and Noapara on Tuesday prior to the resumption of Metro services. The passengers will be able to book their journey slot with a one-hour duration by accessing the pathadisha.com/metro.
Kolkata Metro services will not be operated on Sundays in order to sanitize the trains.
