Railway in Mumbai on track again after 11 months closure
People covering their faces with protective masks disembark a suburban train after authorities resumed the train services for all commuters after it was shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at a railway station in Mumbai, India on Monday.
One of the world’s busiest urban rail systems in India’s financial capital Mumbai was restarted for all commuters on Monday, 11 months after it was shut down to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in the city.
An average of 8 million people were using the train services daily before the pandemic. Operations were stopped in March last year, as part of a strict lockdown imposed by the government.
Only government workers in “essential services” were allowed to travel on the train network after it was partially opened in June.
Commuters trickled into still empty train coaches on Monday, wearing masks and armed with sanitizers.
“From today, regular commuters will be allowed to travel,” said Sumit Thaku, a spokesperson for Western Railways.
“But only during non-peak hours.”
