Metro, suburban train services cancelled

Skeletal bus service till March 31

Tamil Nadu, Chennai, 22/03/2020, For City : As part of efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, the Indian Railways on Sunday announced the cancellation of all premium trains, Mail/Express trains, passenger trains, suburban trains, Metro Rail, services, barring goods train, till March 31, 2020. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam / The Hindu

The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) and the Southern Railway have cancelled Metro and suburban train services from March 23 to 31.

All long-distance trains have already been cancelled till March 31, as part of COVID-19 prevention measures. In a press release, the Railways said that suburban train services, including MRTS, would not be operated from Sunday midnight. Only goods train services would be operated, the release said.

In addition to this, the Southern Railway has closed all its reservation offices and the UTS services, till March 31.

The Railways said that all its ticket booking offices and the UTS app would not be functioning from March 23 to 31.

Metro services are being suspended “in view of the current global pandemic of COVID-19, for containing its further spread through inter-personal proximity” till March 31.

The State Transport Department, having stopped inter-State bus transport facility, will be operating buses within the State, at a minimum level.

A press release issued by the Transport Department said that public buses, including the MTC, would be operated to the bare minimum from March 23 to 31.