Mumbai: 36 lakh people using local trains daily since Feb 1

Some 36 lakh commuters are usingMumbai's suburban train network every day after its serviceswere thrown open to the general public with restricted timingson February 1 amid the coronavirus outbreak, officials said onTuesday.

The daily suburban train ridership comprises 19.30lakh people on Central Railway and 16.50 lakh on WesternRailway, they informed.

Since February 1, CR has fined 2,060 passengers acumulative sum of 1.21 lakh for not wearing masks while thefigure of those penalised on WR was 2,558 and the amount wasRs 3.21 lakh, the official said.

''We just assisted the BMC in taking action againstthose traveling without masks,'' said CR CPRO Shivaji Sutar.

Train services for the general public with restrictedtimings started on February 1 after a gap of 320 days, havingbeen stopped in March 22 last year as the nation went intolockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

From June, 15, it was thrown open for frontline andessential staff engaged in the fight against the outbreak.