With Unlock-4 around the corner and metro rail systems expected to be exempted from COVID curbs, Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has rolled out a new protocol to ensure safety of passengers.
Kochi metro trains would operate air-conditioning at between 25 and 26 degree Celsius, while they will halt at each station for 20-seconds longer for fresh air to circulate within the compartments, said Alkesh Kumar Sarma, managing director of the metro agency. “They will also be stationed at the terminal stations — Aluva and Pettah — for five minutes with doors open. All this is apart from measures to disinfect trains after each trip. The trains will initially operate every 20 minutes. Their frequency can be increased if need be. A spare train will be kept ready in case there is a sudden increase in demand for the metro,” he said.
Strict measures
The KMRL has taken strict measures with regard to sanitisation, physical distancing of passengers and for cashless transactions once the metro resumes operations. Passengers will be encouraged to use Kochi1 prepaid card, rather than cash transactions. Measures have been taken to adopt contact-less ticketing and digital payment at all stations in the 25-km corridor.
Cash boxes and contact-less ticket machines will be available at each station to prevent the spread of the pandemic through currency notes. The new system will ensure that a commuter without Kochi-1 prepaid card will not touch anything except the ticket.
Personnel at ticket counters and passenger information counter will communicate to passengers through the mic and speaker only. All the staff dealing with cash will wear hand gloves. Passengers must wear mask and use hand sanitiser kept at entry points of stations. Foot pedal operated sanitisers will be available for this. Physical distancing of passengers at stations will be monitored by respective station controllers through CCTV.
All passengers will be screened for body temperature using an infrared thermometer by security staff. In addition, thermal cameras will be placed at stations which have high footfall. All public contact points like AFC gates, ticket counters, handrails of staircase, escalators, lift buttons and platform chairs will be cleaned with disinfectant every four hours.