KOLKATA: The modalities to resume Metro Railway services here are yet to be finalised, its general manager Manoj Joshi said on Monday.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued 'Unlock 4' guidelines under which Metro services will be allowed to resume services from September 7 in a graded manner.
Modalities for running the services have not yet been finalised and discussions in this regard with the state government will be held after the standard operating procedure (SOP) is issued by the ministry concerned, he said.
"After SOP is issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs as indicated in the MHA order, we will approach the state government to discuss the modalities," Joshi told PTI.
In order, the West Bengal government said that Metro Railway services will be allowed in a graded manner from September 8.
The West Bengal government had earlier written to the Railway Board, seeking resumption of Metro and suburban train services in a limited manner, maintaining the norms of physical distancing, and health and hygiene protocols.
In the letter to the chairman of the Railway Board, West Bengal Home Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay urged that before the resumption of services, required modalities and logistics to ensure smooth operations may be worked out in consultation with the state government.
The Metro Railway, Kolkata has been holding trial runs of its rakes for maintenance of rolling stock, signalling systems and other facilities to keep them ready as and when services are allowed to be restarted, an official said.
In a bid to encourage social distancing when it resumes service, the Metro Railway has introduced an online system of recharging smart cards, according to the official.