Metro rail services are set to resume from September 7 across India (except Maharashtra) after 5 months under the fourth phase of 'Unlock.' As per the guidelines issued by MHA, the metro operations will be resumed in a graded and calibrated manner. The government on Wednesday announced the SOPs and guidelines for the reopening of the metro travel, including compulsory wearing of masks and following social distancing.

Government of Maharashtra has decided not to resume operation of metro during September 2020.  Hence, Mumbai Line-1 and Maha Metro operations shall commence from October 2020 or as the state government may decide further.

Union Civil Aviation and Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for metro services. He said the metro operations will continue to remain suspended in containment zones.'

The minister said that the decision has been taken after due consideration and will be implemented with due caution and care.

Commuters will no doubt want to follow prescribed preventive measures & cooperate with concerned authorities.

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Masks will be compulsory. People have to follow social distancing norms both on both station premises & trains.

SOPs for metro travel were also announced today. pic.twitter.com/Uermv8Z5IF

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 2, 2020

Delhi, Noida, Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Mumbai Line-1, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Maha Metro (Nagpur) Kolkata, Gujarat and UP Metro (Lucknow) have prepared their SOPs, mentioned below.

Guidelines and SOPs issued by the centre:

1. Metros having more than one line should open different lines from September 7 in a graded manner so that all corridors become operational by September 12.

2. Daily hours of operations will be staggered initially and will be gradually increased with the resumption of full revenue service by September 12.

3. Frequency of trains to be regulated to avoid passenger crowding at stations and in trains.

4. In order to ensure social distancing, suitable markings at stations and inside the trains to be done.

5. Wearing of face mask to be mandatory for all passengers and staff. Metro rail corporations may make arrangements for the supply of masks on payment basis to the persons arriving without a mask.

6. Only asymptomatic persons to be allowed to travel after thermal screening at entry into the stations.

7. Symptomatic persons should be advised to go to nearby COVID care centre/hospital for testing/medical attention.

8. Use of Aarogya Setu App to be encouraged.

9. Provision of sanitizers to be made at entry gates for use by passengers. Sanitisation of all areas having human interface viz. equipment, train, working area, lift, escalators, handrail, AFC gate, toilets etc to be done at regular intervals.

10. Use of Smart Card and cashless/online transactions to be encouraged. Tokens and paper slips/ticket to be used with proper sanitisation.

11. Adequate dwell time at stations to be provided to enable smooth boarding/deboarding ensuring social distancing. Metro rail corporations may also resort to skipping of stations to ensure proper social distancing.

12. Passengers to be advised to travel with minimum luggage and avoid carrying metallic items for easy and quick scanning.

13. Operation of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system as per the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) & Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) guidelines. Intake of fresh air in the air-conditioning system to be increased to the extent possible.

14. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign to be launched for passenger and staff through electronic, print, social media, poster, banner, hoarding and website.

15. Metro rail corporations to keep close liaison with state police and local administration for regulating crowd outside the stations and to deal with contingencies.