Social distancing key to Lucknow Metro’s plan

LUCKNOW The Lucknow Metro, which has been shut since March 24 due to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, is gearing up to restart services as soon as the government gives its go ahead and is ready with an elaborate action plan that primarily focuses on ‘adopt metro with social distancing’ principle.

MD UPMRC Kumar Keshav has already held meetings with senior officials in this regard and is hopeful to start operations from the first week of June with all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Metro operations would be decided by the state government as the strategy has to be prepared by them. We will only follow the directives to control the spread of covid,” he said.

According to senior LMRC official who didn’t wanted to be named, “The entry would be allowed to passengers with Aarogya Setu app. They would be asked to maintain social distancing. Passengers will have to undergo thermal scanning and sanitisers would be given at the entry points of stations. Passengers would be allowed to sit on alternate seats leaving one place vacant for social distancing.”

Besides, all stations have been sanitised, track and electric signals have been tested, the official said.

“Full care has been taken for sanitization at ticket windows, vending machines, customer care centres, entry and exit gates, handles of trains, escalators. All staff has been directed to wear masks, gloves and keep sanitisers with themselves,” the official added.

Also, the Metro will encourage passengers to use Go Smart Card instead of cash transactions.

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