The Lucknow Metro resumed services from the 7th of September after a long halt due to the pandemic and fast forward to December, this public transport system has picked up pace in the city, similar to its pre-COVID ridership. On Monday, Lucknow Metro was seen running in full capacity with more than 31,000 passengers onboard within a day’s time. This corresponds to about 50% of the total number of passengers travelling in the metro, before the pandemic took over.
LMRC is witnessing the quickest ridership recovery as compared to the metro services in other cities
As per the claims of UPMRC, Monday witnessed the largest number of passengers in the metro, since its resumption back in September. With the sudden influx of commuters, the earnings of the metro is all set to increase which would further compensate for the financial loses the body has borne.
According to the MD, Keshav Kumar, passengers have shown confidence in the metro regarding safety and facilities. Only last month, the ridership figure reached 20,000 and given the surging tally now, the MD stated that LMRC is witnessing the quickest ridership recovery as compared to the metro services of the other cities in the country.
Reportedly the metro occupancy of other cities, especially in Delhi, has been the highest in India but their current ridership is about 16 lakhs, which makes up for 30.35% of their former ridership. Almost all metro trains including the ones in Bangalore, Kochi, Hyderabad and Jaipur, have so far achieved only 20.30% of their earlier maximum patronage.
Safety a priority!
Ever since its resumption, there has been a major emphasis on contactless travel, top-notch hygiene and ample of social distancing in the metro trains. Further to make the services safer for the citizens who commute via the metro, the authorities are promoting the Go Smart Card for a contactless travel experience.
The UPMRC is also making use of ultraviolet lights for disinfecting surfaces and installing touch-free foot pedals, to make sure that the highest standards of health and hygiene are met seamlessly. The station premises are being sanitised at regular intervals and the metro trains are sterilised twice a day. The on-ground operational staff are also equipped with gloves, masks and sanitisers, to arrest any spread of the contagious coronavirus.
