After being non-operational for nearly 6 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the metro services in India are going to restart their operations from September 4 2020 in a graded manner. The above move has come from the Government of India as a part of Unlock 4, after all the preparations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 due to metro travel in Delhi, Noida, and Lucknow were complete.

The suspension of metro services in Delhi, Noida, and Lucknow caused difficulties to the everyday commuters and created a hole in their pockets as they looked for alternate means of transport. This continued until all offices shifted to the work from the home regime. But as the offices resumed operations with 30% or 50% staff, coming on alternate days, the problem arose again.

However, with the resumption of metro services by Lucknow Metro (Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation), a big relief has come for daily commuters. It will not only ensure that they are safe while traveling for work or urgent needs, and also keep it economical.

Lucknow Metro Travel Guidelines, Timings & Precautions

With an entirely new set of arrangements that have been done to check the spread of Coronavirus, Lucknow Metro emerges to be the safest mode of public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given below are the set of rules and regulations that highlight the guidelines and preventive measures for metro travel in the urban cities of India.

1. Absolutely contactless travel using Lucknow Metro’s GoSmart Card will be promoted.

As a precaution to prevent the spread of Coronavirus infection, the use of tokens, which are touched by many hands and even at the entry and exit points is not promoted. All commuters are advised to use the smart cards for Metro travel in Delhi & Lucknow, as the card can be recharged digitally from anywhere and is scanned the entry and exit points by the machine from a little distance. It is also economical to travel with a Metro Smart Card.

2. The public or passengers are advised to travel without lots of luggage and avoid carrying any metallic items when they want to travel via the metro in Lucknow.

Heavy luggage might not be allowed at the Metro Stations due to sanitization issues. Please bear this in mind while you travel via the Lucknow metro.

3. Passengers need to stand on the yellow stickers marked on the metro stations to follow social distancing with ease.

All metro stations have public areas, which are used by everyone and are mostly crowded. To ensure social distancing is followed, yellow signages and stickers are marked at the metro stations in Lucknow. You will have to stand on the yellow stickers marked near security checking gates, near platform areas, near lifts, near escalators, etc.

4. Only 2 passengers at a time can use the lift, which also has yellow stickers marked to follow social distancing.

The stickers are marked diagonally in the lift so that the two passengers inside the closed compartment are quiet apart from one another. All button of the lifts and points of contact will be regularly cleaned.

5. Passengers need to follow the special seating arrangement inside the coaches. The coaches have marked yellow stickers for the alternate seating pattern, which again promotes social distancing.

Lucknow metro coaches have markings on seats to ensure there is a gap of at least one seat between two passengers.

6. All areas of high contact zones at the stations and in the metro coaches will be sanitized at regular intervals by the metro staff.

As known to everyone, the prevent of COVID-19 can be controlled by sanitization of contact points with the external environment, the authorities have notified that each train will undergo deep cleaning and sanitation at night. Not only this, but a special sanitation process will also take place at regular intervals of 4-5 hours during the day. This includes the ticket counters (TOMs), TVM (Ticket Vending Machines), Customer Care centers, Entry-Exit gates, handrails inside trains, handrails at the escalator and seats of trains, platforms, etc.

7. The entire Metro staff will be wearing masks and gloves while assisting the passengers.

Station Controllers (SCs), Customer Relation Assistants (CRAs), and security personnel, who will be performing their respective duties on the Metro stations, will be wearing masks and gloves while contacting/dealing with commuters.

8. Passengers should wear masks and carry a pocket sanitizer with them as a mandatory measure for metro travel. Installing the Arogya Setu App is also advisable.

No one will be allowed in Metro premises and metro stations without covering their face with masks. The Metro authorities have also facilitated sanitizers at all entry and exit points of paid area for the passengers. This will ensure that every passenger uses sanitizer twice at the time of entering and exiting the metro station. In case they touch anything inside the metro coaches, they are advised to use pocket sanitizers. For your and your co-passengers safety, kindly install the Arogya Setu App.

9. Every passenger at metro stations in Lucknow must go through Thermal Screening.

Lucknow Metro (Uttar Pradesh Metro) have decided to make thermal screening at metro stations compulsory, as a part of safety measures and precautions to contain the deadly disease. At all entry points, the thermal screening will be done and passengers whose temperatures will fall out of the set standards will not be allowed to travel in the metro.

10. The air-conditioning & ventilation system of metro coaches will adhere to the guidelines issued by ISHRAE (The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers).

The metro services have taken several steps to circulate fresh air in the coaches and to keep the air free from coronavirus infection. In addition to this, the temperature inside the stations will be maintained around 28 degrees Celsius. Exhaust fans will be used to replace the air present in the tunnels of the metro.

11. Passengers showing Covid-19 symptoms won’t be permitted to travel in the metro trains at any cost.

If in any case, the passengers are sighted unfit for travel via the Lucknow Metro, they will be stopped right away from entering the station and will be directed to the nearest medical center. So, if you are feeling sick or unwell due to some reason, avoid taking the metro or even stepping out of the house.

Important Things To Note For Lucknow Metro Travel In Unlock 4

1. Half the gates of all stations on the Red Line Stations of Lucknow Metro will remain closed. The passengers will enter and exit from only two gates. Passengers will be able to go in and out from both the gates.

2. All passengers who wish to board the Lucknow Metro must undergo thermal screening, mask checking, and Arogya Setu App checking before they are allowed to enter the train station.

3. It will be mandatory to wear a mask while traveling in Lucknow Metro. If the passenger does not wear the mask, it can be purchased for use by paying a fee at the metro station.

4. Hand sanitizer will be present at both the gates of Lucknow Metro stations. Entry will be available only after the passengers have sanitized their hands.

5. From the very first day, Lucknow Metro Trains will run from 6 am to 10 pm. The Lucknow Metro timings after unlock are 6 AM to 10 PM.

6. Every five and a half minutes, the next metro train will arrive on the Lucknow Metro stations. As the number of passengers increases, the waiting trains will be asked to run. This will reduce the rush due to the movement of trains before the scheduled interval. For this, 16 out of 20 trains will be operated. Four trains will be kept waiting for the time of need.

7. Maintaining social distance is mandatory at ticket counters and other public place of the Lucknow Metro premises. The tokens will also be sanitized from UV machines after every use. The monitoring of social distances and masks inside trains will be done using cameras continuously.

The administrative authorities of the Lucknow Metro have worked relentlessly since the first phase of Unlock to make the Metro carriages, stations, tokens, and transit to accommodate the norms of social distancing and sanitization. With their untiring efforts, the metro services are back on track.

While the management has done its best, the passengers need to understand and follow the aforesaid guidelines and precautions. It is then, we can win the battle against the Coronavirus.

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Lucknow Metro Guidelines & Timings to Travel After Covid-19 Unlock