Mumbai News

Mumbai local train services to be cancelled till March 31 as coronavirus cases climb to 370 – Livemint

In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, Western Railways cancelled Mumbai Suburban train services till March 31. Starting tonight, Mumbai local trains will not run till the month end. “Kindly note that Mumbai Suburban services of Western Railway will not be run from from 24.00 hrs of 23/03/2020 ie from the midnight of 22/03/2020 till the midnight of 31/03/2020,” Western Railway tweeted.

As India continues to reel under the threat of COVID-19, Indian Railways decided to not run any passenger trains till the month end. The goods trains will remain functional to ensure the movement of essential services around the country, the Railways ministry said in a statement.

Sprawled across the Central Railway and its Harbour Line, plus Western Railway, the suburban trains are the lifeline of Mumbai which ferry over 8.50 million commuters daily serving Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts.

The deadly novel coronavirus claimed six lives so far. Deaths have been reported from Karnataka, Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab and Bihar. With more than 70 coronavirus cases reported in the state, Maharashtra is the worst affected in the country. The total number coronavirus cases in India surged to 370, confirmed health ministry.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray earlier decided to close all the shops and non-essential offices in major cities till March 31. The partial shutdown will be applicable for Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nagpur. Thackeray urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/mumbai-local-train-services-to-be-cancelled-till-march-31-11584867054456.html