Mumbai: Will Mumbai's 'lifeline' resume in the first week of January? This is one of the questions which is currently making rounds in mind of every Mumbaikar. The state government recently has hinted that it may decide to reopen the suburban local trains for public from January.

Vijay Wadettiwar,Relief and Rehabilitation Minister recently stated that he he had spoken to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and he was positive about resumption of the railway services in the next 10 days.

However, a decision will be made only after reviewing the pandemic situation. “With the risk of the spread of the new coronavirus strain, we will have to be careful while taking the decision about resumption of railway services for all."

He further said that a letter has already been given to the Railways for their approval but the final call has to be taken by Maharashtra government.

Currently, women are allowed to commute from local trains between 11 am to 3 pm and 7pm till midnight. Also, the local trains are accessible only for those from essential services that have been issued special QR codes.