After a halt of
nearly seven months due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, local trail and metro
services in West Bengal resumed on Wednesday, PTI reported.

The local train
services under the Eastern and South Eastern Railway jurisdiction, which were
suspended in March following the nationwide lockdown, resumed early on Wednesday.

As per an official,
the Eastern Railway is operating 413 suburban trains in Sealdah division and
202 in Howrah division from Wednesday, reported PTI

Although the passenger
turnout is significantly abated as compared to the pre-COVID period, the
commuters’ frequency is expected to surge gradually in the coming days.

The railway
authorities on the other hand were vigilant about the
adherence of COVID-19 guidelines with masks being mandatory for entering the
station premises.

According to
railway officials, the arrangements made for the safety of daily commuters include the following:

• Alternate seating
  arrangements in coaches with every other seat being cross-marked for
  maintaining a physical distance.

• Spot markings for queuing
  at all important places including platforms and booking counters.

• To avoid
  overcrowding of trains, 148 of 177 time- tabled services are being run during
  peak hours.

Daily commuters
expressed happiness over the continuation of local railway services as opting
for private conveyance not only dug a hole in their pockets but also increased
the travel hours.

“I had to
change two buses to reach my office at Sector V in the Salt Lake area. It used
to take me double time than train journey duration. Also, I had to shell out
more money on travel as it is a health risk to board overcrowded buses,” PTI
quoted Sanjay Dutta from Kalyani in Nadia district as saying.

With the pandemic
scenario changing the commutation practices all over the State, passenger sought
an increase in the number of trains to ensure that the coaches are not crowded.

“Increasing
the number of trains will mean lesser passengers in each coach, which will help
in maintaining physical distancing,” Papia Banerjee, a daily commuter from
Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district to Esplanade in central Kolkata told PTI

According to PTI, a spokesperson of the
railway zone informed that the South Eastern Railway is operating with 81 daily
services from Wednesday, with 40 EMU locals in the up direction and 41 in the
down direction.