The Telangana government has modified the timings of the Hyderabad metro services as part of its new rules on the statewide lockdown which has been extended by 10 days. As per the new announcement, the relaxation period has been extended from the earlier 6 am to 10 am four-hour period to 6 am to 1 pm. According to a statement from the Chief Minister's Office, a relaxation for one more hour will be given to enable people to return home. Therefore, to aid the movement of people, the metro services in Hyderabad have also been extended by three hours.
“In view of the further extension of the lockdown declared by the Government of Telangana, the timings of the Hyderabad Metro Rail service have been rescheduled. During this period, Hyderabad Metro Rail will start its first train from respective terminal stations at 7 am; while the last train will start at 11:45 am and reach the respective terminating stations by 12:45 pm,” a statement by the government said. Earlier, the first train began at 7 am and metro services remained functional till 9.45 am, which was when the last trains of the Hyderabad Metro Rail, which started at 8.45 am from all terminal stations, reached the destination stations.
The government has asked people using the metro services to strictly follow the COVID-19 safety guidelines including physical distancing, wearing of face masks, regular hand sanitisation and thermal screening, among others. “Passengers are requested to cooperate with security personnel and staff of Hyderabad Metro Rail in their efforts towards keeping their journey safe,” the government said.