Maharashtra govt considering resumption of local trains: Aaditya Thackeray

The Maharashtra government is

seriously considering resumption of normal local train services in Mumbai by October 15, Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' on Wednesday said quoting state minister Aaditya Thackeray.

According to the Sena publication, Thackeray who is the environment and tourism minister, said the issue of resumption of suburban train services for common citizens is being considered as part of efforts to bring the state's economy back on track.

In a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the local trains are currently being run only for essential services staff, state and central government staff, employees of nationalised and private banks, PSUs and pharma companies, and QR code-based identity cards are mandatory for them.

"The government is seriously considering starting normal train services for citizens by October 15. The decision will be taken after ensuring all COVID-19 related safety protocols are followed," Thackeray said.

He also said that to reduce vehicular traffic, a proposal of keeping offices and commercial establishments working for 24 hours is being considered.

It is difficult to reschedule the office hours since there are different kinds of offices and commercial establishments in Mumbai, the minister said.

He said the government was in talks with offices, establishments and corporates regarding working hours.

The government is also in talks with the Railways to increase the frequency of these train services, the minister said.