The first day of Chennai Metro resuming services since the coronavirus lockdown was marked by extremely low passenger footfalls at the metro stations. Even as the Ministry of Home Affairs finally allowed states to resume metro services after more than five months, hardly over 5,000 passengers travelled by Chennai Metro on day one, reported The New Indian Express.
According to a Chennai Metro Rail spokesperson, only 5,033 passengers took the Metro train, mostly office goers. Of them, 4,869 passengers used the smart card ticketing system and 164 passengers used the QR code scan ticketing system. However, the footfall was still better compared to 3,770 passengers who travelled by Bengaluru Metro on day one of resuming services.
Story continues below Advertisement
Chennai Metro Rail services had been suspended since March 22 in view of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. The services were finally restarted in a graded manner on September 7. On day one, only train services on the Blue Line were restarted, meaning, metro trains were operating between Airport Metro Station and Washermenpet Metro Station. Green Line operations are expected to resume from September 9.
All metro rail services will have to operate while adhering to strict SOPs and social distancing norms as mandated by the Centre to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. All passengers had to undergo thermal screening during entry as well; face masks are mandatory and using sanitizers at the entrance of the metro stations has been recommended. Inside the
metro rail coaches, passengers were allowed to occupy alternate seats only and they were also asked to stand on alternate steps while using the escalator, reported Times Now.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
