HYDERABAD: Metro Rail passengers will have to mark their attendance in the TSavaari app so that officials can initiate contact tracing if any passenger tests positive for Covid-19. Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL) officials on Saturday, during a trial run, took stock of the precautions being put in place before services resume on September 7.
Various safety measures have been put in place, including thermal scanning, mandatory masks and physical distancing rules, and contact tracing of passengers through the TSavaari app.
Speaking to Express, a source from Keolis Hyderabad, which helps the HMRL operate and maintain the trains, explained that a scan code will be displayed on the metro train doors and walls for passengers to scan using the TSavaari app.
“Passengers who have access to smartphones are supposed to scan this code every time they enter or exit the train. The scan code provides the TSavaari app with the passenger’s exact location on the train, the coach that they are in and the number of the train. This feature will help us track other passengers who were travelling in the same coach or train in which a passenger may have tested positive,” the official said.
The new normal
In addition to these, portable ticketing machines, cashless transactions and lightweight baggage is set to become the new normal. Only asymptomatic people will be allowed to board the Metro, and any person who is found to be symptomatic will be advised to visit the nearest Covid-19 centre.
Speaking to the media, HMRL MD, NVS Reddy, said, “At every entry point, thermal screening of passengers will be done. Only asymptomatic people will be allowed travel in the Metro. Any person found to be symptomatic will be advised to go to the nearest Covid-19 care centre. We also have emergency isolation rooms in place. If anyone has forgotten to carry their own masks, we will provide masks at the station for customers who are willing to pay for them.”
The interiors of the train will be disinfected three times in a day. The Ameerpet station, a crucial junction, has been covered with physical distancing stickers on platforms, where security personnel will also be roaming around to check crowding.