Finally, local trains considered as lifeline of Mumbai will back on track with full service resuming from February 1, the Maharashtra government declared on Friday. General public will be permitted to board Mumbai suburban trains starting Monday.

The general public will be permitted to board the local train till 7 am from the beginning of the first local train service. Mumbaikars can use the service between 12 noon and 4 pm in the afternoon. Also one can use the service after 9 pm in the night till end of service. The order released by the government further states that the service will be restricted to the essential services staff only as is being permitted currently 7 am to 12 pm and from 4 pm to 9 pm.

The CR and WR in the joint statement issued on Thursday read, “The Central Railway has now decided to increase the suburban services from the existing 1,580 to 1,685 services, and the Western Railway has decided to increase the existing 1,201 suburban services to 1,300 services with effect from Friday.”

A meeting to review the plans on resumption of the local trains in Mumbai was chaired under Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday.Mumbai's lifeline was in yards from March last year after the lockdown amid COVID-19 was imposed.