The Maharashtra government has been exploring the possibilities of an e-pass based booking system on the Metro rail and suburban train network in a bid to reduce overcrowding amidst the pandemic.
Earlier, the Kolkata Metro was known to implement the bot technology which is to keep commuters per train down to 400. The government of West Bengal has roped in a private agency which has set up a system that permits passengers to book time slots and pick destinations in order to generate a colour-coded pass.
Similarly, in Maharashtra, the phase-wise unlocking has prompted the government to look for methods to work towards crowd control in public transportation systems. Moreover, the Bombay High Court had earlier asked the Maharashtra government to come up with a way to permit common people to use the local trains in Mumbai as people are losing jobs and are in difficult financial positions due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
According to sources, a discussion regarding the same was conducted by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with the COVID-19 task force. The CM asked authorities to coordinate with the railways and take utmost caution in planning the resumption of operations for everyone. The Central and Western railways have said in the past that, if asked they would be in a position to roll out more trains at short notice.
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