Amid Covid-19 outbreak, Western Railway to increase Mumbai local services to 500

MUMBAI: A total of 500 suburban train services will be run in Mumbai from September 21, an increase from the 350 currently on the tracks amid the coronavirus outbreak, said a Western Railway official on Friday.

The suburban trains in operation now are only for frontline staff and essential service workers as laid down by the state government, and a QR code-empowered ticketing mechanism is in place for those who need to board.

"In order to maintain social distancing and avoid overcrowding, Western Railway has taken the decision to increase the number of daily special suburban services from 350 to 500 from Monday," said Sumit Thakur, WR chief public relations officer.


"Of the increased services, 30 will be operated during morning peak hours, and 29 services during evening peak hours," Thakur informed.