Local trains in Mumbai resumed services in the city from Monday but only for essential services workers, identified by the state government. Around 1.25 lakh essential services staff are expected to travel by these trains on a daily basis. Mumbai local train services were suspended in March to curb the spread of covid-19. The Maharashtra government which allowed offices to function with 10-15% staff on 8 June, saw huge crowding on the roads and in buses, with the public defying social distancing norms. This prompted the state to request the Centre to allow resumption of local train services.
Late Sunday, the government decided to restart services of Western Railway and Central Railway for only workers in essential services. Up to 73 pairs of suburban services, which include eight pairs between Virar and Dahanu Road, will run from today. The trains will operate from 5.30 am to 11.30 pm with a 15-minute interval.
In a statement, Western Railway said, the entry will be allowed at stations strictly through ID cards of essential staff as identified by the state government. The staff will be later issued QR based e-passes which will also bear colour coding to enable swifter ticket checking.

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