The Central and Western Railways on Tuesday decided to begin operations of all its suburban train services from January 29, Mumbai Mirror reported.

According to a statement, the Central Railways will operate 1,685 services from its existing 1,580. Meanwhile, Western Railway train services will be increased from 1,201 to 1,367.

In March last year, suburban train services had been stopped in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, before it resumed partially with restrictions in July. Tuesday’s decision to operate services at full capacity came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chaired a meeting to review the situation.

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Currently, all passengers are not allowed to travel by local trains. Only employees working in essential care services and women can travel due to the coronavirus crisis.

Mumbai was once India’s coronavirus hotspot, and with the vaccination drive underway in the country it aims to open fully from a strict lockdown. The local trains are the lifeline of the city and world’s busiest urban rail systems.