Mumbai local trains may ply soon ONLY for fully vaccinated passengers, all you need to know

Mumbai local trains will likely re-open soon but with a pre-condition for passengers to be fully vaccinated, Maharashtra state cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh told reporters.

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Mumbai: The local trains in Mumbai are likely to re-open soon but with a pre-condition for passengers to be fully vaccinated, the decision in this regard may be taken in the next 2-3 days, Maharashtra state cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh said. 

“... I am also of the view that person whose two doses are completed should be allowed to travel in Mumbai local, we have also informed Chief Minister about this. After studying the report by the task force, a decision on Mumbai local will be taken in next two to three days," the guardian minister told Hindustan Times.

The matter of re-opening Mumbai local train and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses was discussed in a state cabinet meeting, Shaikh said.

Notably, the local train services are currently operational for just essential service employees due to coronavirus outbreak. Recently, the clamour for resumption of suburban train services for the general public has gained momentum. 

The Maharashtra government had permitted residents to travel by local trains for a stipulated time period. They were allowed to commute during non-peak hours, excluding 9am to 12pm and 4pm to 9pm, resulting in nearly 3.3 million passengers (2 million on Central Railway and 1.3 million on Western Railway) travelling by local trains every day.

The local train services in Mumbai was suspended for the general public for a second time since March 2020 after an increase in novel coronavirus cases in the city on April 15.