Western Railway local trains see commuter count drop by 8 lakh due to Coronavirus impact
On Tuesday, Thackeray had appealed to people to avoid train and bus journey if not necessary, while clarifying the government does not want to stop suburban services to contain the coronavirus spread.
The number of commuters on Suburban trains of the Western Railway (WR) reduced by over 8 lakh on Tuesday, the day Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray appealed to people to avoid non-essential travel in view of the coronavirus outbreak in the state.
According to WR, on Tuesday 32.60 lakh passengers travelled on their suburban trains as against 40.75 lakh on Monday (down 8.15 lakhs).
"The number of commuters reduced by around 25 per cent," said Ravinder Bhakar, chief spokesperson of WR.
On Tuesday, Thackeray had appealed to people to avoid train and bus journey if not necessary, while clarifying the government does not want to stop suburban services to contain the coronavirus spread.
Suburban services are the lifeline of Mumbai and daily over 80 lakh commuters commute by them.
Though exact passenger count on Central Railway's suburban trains was not available, a senior official said the number of passengers could have reduced by 7-9 lakh on Tuesday.
Watch Zee Business live TV below:
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday decided to reduce public transport commuter count by at least 50 per cent as part of measures to avoid crowding and enforce social distancing.
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.