MUMBAI, Jan 31: The Mumbai local trains will resume full service from February 1, the Maharashtra Government has announced. However, the services for the general public will be limited by a schedule of timings in order to provide exclusive travel facility to essential services personnel.

Earlier it was announced that full services of the locals (suburban train service) would resume from last Friday.

The public will be allowed to travel on Mumbai locals till 7 am from the start of the first service. Later they can use the service between 12 noon and 4 pm and then again after 9 pm till the end of service. From 7 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 9 pm only essential services personnel will be allowed to use local train services.

The Government has urged offices to go for staggered working hours to reduce crowding at stations.

The local station masters have been informed to run trains on a full schedule from February 1 as declared by the State Government.

The authorities had been considering several models to restore the local train services. As of now, only essential services personnel use the services even on southern and central suburban railways. However, women were allowed to travel by the trains without restrictions.

Eighty lakh passengers used to travel by the local trains in Mumbai before the coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March last and the services were shut.