Kochi metro back on track after 53 days, to run from 8am to 8pm

Kochi metro rail services will resume from July 1, i.e. Thursday, with a strict adherence to coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-related protocols, the Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) informed on Wednesday. The metro rail services in Kochi will be resuming after an interval of 53 days due to the Covid-19 necessitated lockdown restrictions imposed earlier, the KMRL said in a tweet, adding that the metro rail services will run from 8am to 8pm.

"Dear Kochi people, here is the good news you have all been waiting for! Metro services will resume tomorrow with the appropriate Covid-19-related safety measures. Adhering to pandemic restrictions, the metro will run from 8am to 8 pm on an initial basis. Welcome, and safe travels!" the KMRL wrote in a tweet in Malayalam.

Kochi metro is taking all Covid-19 related sanitary measures ahead of resuming services, officials told news agency PTI. The metro premises have been cleaned and sanitised, while all passengers will have to mandatorily undergo thermal scanning and temperature check before they are allowed to enter the metro station. The KMRL is taking every other possible step to check the spread of coronavirus, officials told the news agency.

The Kochi metro rail will resume from Thursday and run from 8am to 8pm initially, reports said. The interval between each train will remain 15 minutes during non-peak hours, and 10 minutes during peak hours. Gradually, the train frequency might be tweaked depending on passenger requirements and rush hours, officials said.

Kerala has recorded as many as 2,924,165 Covid-19 cases till now, an updated PTI tally of coronavirus cases showed on Wednesday. On the other hand, 2,809,587 people have already recovered from Covid-19 in the state, while 13,235 patients have succumbed to the disease.

In related news, Bengaluru's 'Namma Metro' services will also be resuming from Thursday, and will be available from 7am to 6pm, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said.