Reschedule of Hyderabad Metro Timings from Monday

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metro Rail announced on Sunday that the timings of its services are rescheduled beginning Monday.

With the Covid-19 safety protocol in place, Hyderabad Metro Rail will now operate from 7 a.m. (first train) until 10.15 p.m. (final train from respective locations), reaching all finishing stations at 11.15 p.m.

“For everyone’s safety, passengers are advised to strictly follow the Covid-19 safety guidelines, including social distancing, wearing of face masks, regular hand sanitisation and thermal screening, among others. Passengers are requested to cooperate with security personnel and staff of the Hyderabad Metro Rail in their efforts towards keeping the metro journey safe,” L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited (LTMRHL) has issued a statement .

According to current schedules, the last train departs from each stations at 9 p.m. and arrives at the corresponding destination stations about 10 p.m.

Since the Telangana government implemented the Covid lockdown on May 12, the Hyderabad Metro Rail has been operating at a reduced capacity. Following the extension of the lockdown relaxation time, the services were rescheduled twice.

Since June 21, when the lockdown was lifted entirely, the Hyderabad Metro Rail has been operating from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. After that, the hours were extended till 10 p.m.

The 73-kilometer elevated metro was built at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore in a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, making it the world’s largest metro project.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020, it was running 55 trains per day, carrying over 4.5 lakh people.

On March 22, 2020, its operations were halted. The services were resumed on September 7 after a 169-day break, but the new necessary safety requirements led in a huge decline in the number of passengers travelling.

Due to a month-long shutdown in anticipation of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in May-June 2021, metro services were once again disrupted. (IANS)