25,124 season tickets issued on CR, 8,216 on WR
MUMBAI: With local trains resuming for general public from Sunday, Monday saw a rise in the number of monthly season passes issued.
A total of 25,124 monthly season passes were issued to passengers on the Central Railway (CR) until 7pm, the highest since the registration began, and 8,216 were issued on the Western Railway (WR). Overall, till Sunday, 146,425 suburban railway passes were issued to passengers – 92,324 on the CR and 54,101 on the WR. The highest number of passes were issued at Dombivli and Borivli railway stations. On Sunday, 13,327 passes were issued on the CR and 7,399 on the WR. On Saturday, 16,439 passes were issued on the CR and 7,121 on the WR.
General commuters were allowed to travel by local train after four months on Sunday. Train services were suspended for the general public on April 15, due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the city. The eligibility criterion for travelling is completion of 14 days since receiving the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine. A universal pass is being made available to commuters offline and online.
On Monday, no incident of crowding was reported on the suburban railway stations and inside local train compartments. Railway authorities, however, said Tuesday could be a challenge. “Due to public holidays on Sunday and Monday, there was not a huge increase in the number of passengers travelling by local trains. We are expecting an increase on Tuesday when both government and private offices will be functional,” said a senior CR official.