The resumption of metro services in Delhi will not be a cause of concern as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has taken all necessary measures to ensure safe travelling amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Wearing of face mask, following social distancing will be mandatory for all commuters during entry into the stations and during the entire journey and use of ‘Aarogya Setu App’ for updating health status by passengers is advisable, a senior DMRC official said.
Forty Five major stations have been provided with ‘Auto thermal screening cum hand sanitisation machines whereas, rest of the Metro stations will be having provision of ‘auto sanitizer dispensers’ for hand sanitisation and thermal screening will be done manually by ‘Thermal guns’, he said.
All passengers will be required to undergo thermal screening and hand sanitisation at the entry point itself, he said, adding that initially, entry or exit of passengers will be permitted only through one or two identified gates at each station.
“List of all such earmarked gate numbers at each station will be made available on the website www.delhimetrorail.com and official social media handles for public information,” he added.
The official further said that passengers having temperature or sign of Covid-19 will not be allowed to travel. “A team of around 800 officials/staff will be deployed for all stations to ensure the cleanliness and orderliness inside stations during revenue hours. In addition, they will regulate entry of passengers to the station in case of crowd build up and violation of social distancing norms,” he said.
In order to manage crowds, monitoring will also be done through CCTV cameras installed at stations and trains.
Passengers will be permitted to sit on alternate seats inside the train maintaining adequate social distancing and dwell time (stoppage) of trains at each station will be increased by 10 seconds (from earlier 10-15 seconds to 20-25 seconds) so that passengers get sufficient time to board and alight.
Further, train doors will be kept open at terminal stations to let fresh air infuse in the train. “Tokens will not be permitted for travelling to prevent transmission of virus through frequent touching. Only smart card holders (including QR code users on Airport Express Line) will be allowed to travel, which can be recharged digitally by a number of ways easily avoiding human interface,” he said.
Recharge of smart cards at the Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) or customer care centre will be through cashless modes only (debit/credit/Bharat QR code etc), he said, adding that all human contact areas such as lift buttons, Escalator handrails, AFC gates touch points, customer handling points will be disinfected at stations every four hours or earlier as required.