Schools and colleges have reopened after a period of 1.5 years, and with this, the students, staff and teachers will require public transport options for easier and faster commute. But given the Covid-19 situation, there is limited access to local trains with students not allowed, and BEST buses are saturated. On Day 1 — October 4 — of institutes reopening, many college students spent hours commuting and are now seeking permission to travel by local trains.

As a large number of students approached the railways for tickets and passes, the Central Railway on Tuesday wrote to the Maharashtra government, seeking guidance and permissions on issuing the same for them. “Students have been approaching us at counters seeking tickets for local trains and guidelines are sought from the Maharashtra government about them, since at present there is no Standard Operating Procedure or guidelines yet issued,” the letter stated. The Federation of Suburban Passengers’ Association has also written a letter to the Maharashtra government.