Gahlot reviews preparation for resumption of Metro Services
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot met with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Transport Department officials to review the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place for reopening of Metro services in the Capital.
The Metro operations in Delhi will resume in a phased manner, with staggered timings from September 7, but will be fully operational by September 12.
The metro will be reopening in the following three stages:
In stage-I, the metro stations will be operationalised from 7 AM to 11 AM in the morning and from 4 PM to 8 PM in the evening. In this stage, there will be three phases i.e. phase-1, phase-2 and phase-3.
Phase-I will start from 7th September onwards and Line 2 including Rapid metro Gurgaon would be made operational in this phase. In Phase-2, which will start from 9th September onwards, Line 3,4 & 7 would also be made operational. In Phase-3 of Stage-I, which is going to start from 10th September onwards, Line 1, 5 And 6 would be made operational.
In Stage-II, starting from 11th September onwards, metro services would be from 7AM to 1 PM in the morning and 4 PM to 10 PM in the evening. In addition to Stage-I, Line 8 & 9 would also be made operational in this Stage i.e. Stage-II.
In Stage-III, starting from 12th September onwards, metro services would be from 6 AM to 11 PM i.e regular revenue hour. In this Stage, In addition to Stage-II, Airport Line would also be made operational.
To avoid passenger crowding, frequency of trains would be regulated at all stations. Suitable markings at stations and inside the trains would be done to ensure Social Distancing.
All Stations and their entry gates in containment zones will remain closed. After thermal screening, only asymptomatic persons would be allowed to travel. Wearing of mask will be mandatory, sanitisers will be made available at every entry points for use by the passengers. For the time being, no tokens will be issued to passengers due to its high risk of spreading the virus. Use of Smart Cards, cashless transaction is mandatory and use of Arogya Setu App would be encouraged. Apart from these precautions, Delhi government would deploy Civil Defence Volunteers and Enforcement Team of Transport Department along with Metro staff to ensure strict compliance to Social Distancing norms and crowd management at every stations.
They will work in coordination with local police and local administration. On the operational front, increase in dwelling time at stations and skipping of stations will also be done to prevent crowding. The guidelines of Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) for operation of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems will be strictly adhered to.
Station entry and exit points will also be reduced to one or two gates per station. The shops, kiosks, ATMs and other installations would be allowed to open with strict COVID guidelines. Parking at metro stations will be operational but feeder bus services will remain suspended.
In order to inform and educate passengers about the safety protocols, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Transport Department has started Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaign through poster, banner, hoarding etc. and also through electronic, print and social media.
After the meeting, Kailash Gahlot said: “We had a fruitful discussion on SOP for graded reopening of Metro services, today, with DMRC. As glad as I am that Metro will finally be resuming in the city, I understand the threat, any mismanagement could pose to the public of Delhi. In this regard, we will ensure that we resume Delhi’s transport lifeline only after putting in place all necessary precautions. I would also like to appeal to Delhiites to travel only if it is absolutely necessary, and ensure strict compliance to Covid protocols at a personal level.”
