Chennai Metro services to restart from September 7: Here are the guidelines

The trains will run with a gap of five minutes during the peak hours (morning 08:30 am to 10:30 am and evening: 05:00 pm to 08:30 pm) and with a gap of 10 minutes during non-peak hours. Passengers have been instructed to note that there will be no inter-corridor movement between Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M G Ramachandran Central Metro Station and Airport Metro Station.

The train stoppage at stations has been increased from 20 seconds to 50 seconds. The CMRL said all the trains and stations will be disinfected frequently for the safety and security of passengers. The platform management staff will be deployed at stations to ensure social distancing and safe de-boarding of passengers. The dwelling time will be reviewed and suitably revised depending upon the footfall at the stations.

Face masks are compulsory at all times in all CMRL premises. CMRL said face mask and shield, gloves, and medical PPE, etc, will be arranged for frontline passenger handling staff. The passengers will be subjected to thermal screening at the entry-level. Symptomatic passengers or those having high temperature will not be allowed to use metro train services. Social sticker markings to be placed at all passenger moving/waiting areas at station premises.

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The CMRL officials said the air conditioning in trains and stations shall be run following protocols prescribed by CPWD/ISHARE (Indian society for refrigeration and air-conditioning). Passengers are advised to stand on alternate steps on escalators.

According to CMRL, seats and station platforms have been marked X to indicate where passengers can sit/stand to ensure physical distancing. Two entrances of the Metro stations will be opened initially. And based on demand, the opening of other entrances of the stations will be explored. Lifts shall be shared only with 2 to 3 persons at a time and usage of lifts shall be encouraged for aged and persons with disabilities only.

Baggers will be scanned in Bagger Scanner and passengers shall pass through DFMD (Door Frame Metal Detectors) for contactless screening. All human contact areas- lift buttons, escalators hand rails, customer handling points to be disinfected frequently.

Contactless frisking of passengers will be undertaken. Passengers are advised to use Arogya Sethu app before entering the metro stations.

Shops, kiosks, food points at metro stations will be permitted to function as per the guidelines stipulated by the government of Tamil Nadu.

Social distancing will be monitored through CCTV at all stations and inside trains.