All you need to know about Mumbai local trains that may soon run ONLY for fully vaccinated passengers

Mumbai: Local trains in Mumbai are likely to reopen soon, but with a requirement that passengers be fully vaccinated; a decision in this regard may be made in the next 2-3 days, according to Maharashtra state cabinet minister Aslam Shaikh.

“… I am also of the opinion that a person who has completed both doses should be allowed to travel in Mumbai local; we have also informed the Chief Minister of this. After reviewing the task force’s report, a decision on Mumbai local will be made in the next two to three days,” the guardian minister told Hindustan Times.

A state cabinet meeting was held to discuss the reopening of the Mumbai local train and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses, according to Shaikh.

Notably, due to the coronavirus outbreak, local train services are currently only available to essential service employees. The call for the resumption of suburban train services for the general public has recently gained traction.

For a limited time, the Maharashtra government allowed residents to travel by local trains. They were permitted to commute during non-peak hours, excluding 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., resulting in nearly 3.3 million passengers (2 million on the Central Railway and 1.3 million on the Western Railway) riding local trains every day.

After an increase in novel coronavirus cases in the city on April 15, Mumbai’s local train services were suspended for the second time since March 2020.