Metro rail services in Hyderabad is all set to resume its operations in a phased manner from tomorrow (September 7), putting in place all coronavirus guidelines and protocols. On Monday, Metro services will resume only on Miyapur to LB Nagar corridor. Trains will be operated from 7 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 9 pm. Nagole to Raidurg stretch will be made operational from Tuesday with the same timings.
From September 9, Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) to the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) corridor will also re-open, with services available from 7 am to 9 pm.
Following are the guidelines for Hyderabad Metro resumption:
- Only asymptomatic people will be allowed to travel in the metro rail.
- Wearing a face mask is mandatory for all passengers and staff. A suitable penalty shall be imposed for any violation.
- There will be thermal screening at the entrance
- Suitable markings at stations and inside trains for passengers to stand.
- Alternate seats on the train will be marked with a cross to keep it vacant.
- Pedal type sanitizer will be kept at the entry of the stations for passengers, and stations will be disinfected thoroughly during non-working hours in the night.
- Train doors will remain open at terminal stations to let fresh air inside in the train.
- Coins will not be accepted for the sale of tickets. Smart Card and Mobile QR ticket with cashless transactions will be encouraged.
- There will be a counter from where commuters can purchase masks.
- The use of the Arogya-Setu App would be encouraged among passengers with smartphones.
In case a visitor has high temperature or shows any other medical symptom, he will be taken to the isolation room at the station and provided medical assistance, said Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) officials.
HMRL Managing Director NVS Reddy appealed to the people with COVID-like symptoms like fever, cold, and cough to avoid travel on the Metro.
Frequency of trains will be around five minutes. It will be improved or decreased based on passenger traffic and to avoid crowding, said Reddy.
Gandhi Hospital, Bharat Nagar, Moosapet, Musheerabad and Yusufguda, the five stations which fall in containment zones, will remain closed.
Reddy said that social distancing would be monitored through CCTVs, station controllers, and train operators.
Waiting time for trains at the Metro stations has been increased from 20 seconds to 30 seconds to ensure passengers don't come in contact while boarding or de-boarding.
Following the Unlock 4.0 guidelines issued by the Centre and the permission accorded by the state government, the HMRL decided to resume services in a phased manner.
The Hyderabad Metro suspended its commercial operations from March 22. It was operating 55 trains that ferried about 4.5 lakh passengers every day before the lockdown.
The 73-km elevated Metro is the biggest such project in the world in public private partnership (PPP) model built at a total cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
L&T MRHL, the private partner in the project, is estimated to have suffered Rs 300 crore loss during the last five-and-a-half months.
In February, with the launch of the 11-km stretch from JBS to MGBS, the Hyderabad Metro Rail become the second largest metro rail network in the country after Delhi, covering a distance of 69.2 km.
Barring the 3.78 km stretch from MGBS to Falaknuma, the famous palace in the old city, the entire project has been completed
(With IANS Inputs)
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