November 5, 2020 2:57:42 am
The standard operating procedure and will be announced on Thursday, railway officials said. (File)
OFFICIALS OF the state government and the Eastern and Southern Railways met again in Nabanna on Wednesday to firm up plans for the resumption of suburban rail services in Kolkata. According to sources, it was decided that 210 local trains will be in service during office hours (morning and evening) daily. The number of trains will be minimised during the rest of the day. The local trains will not stop at every station. They will be “galloping trains” and will stop only at the “important and big stations”, the sources said.
The final schedule and other related decisions will be announced on Thursday. During the meeting on Wednesday, it was decided that standing would not be allowed in the local trains. Hawkers will not be allowed inside the trains and “unnecessary gatherings” will not be allowed at the stations and platforms, the sources said
A senior railway official said, “The standard operating procedure was finalised and will be announced on Thursday. In every bogey, one or two Railway Police personnel will be present who will ensure that physical distancing is maintained.”
The Railways had reportedly begun to working on a system to issue e-tickets for local train passengers akin to the metro rail. However, at Wednesday’s meeting, it was decided that only e-ticketing was not possible for local trains. Thus, even if e-ticketing is launched, physical ticketing system will also be continued.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/210-local-trains-to-run-daily-during-office-hours-in-kolkata/
