Over 13,000 take under-river E-W Metro?s first Sunday ride

02 Sep 2024 CW Team

The East-West Metro commenced its full seven-day service on the under-river stretch, which passengers eagerly embraced as a much-anticipated pre-Puja gift. Kausik Mitra, CPRO of Metro Railway, reportedly stated that by 8 pm, approximately 13,940 commuters had used the Sunday services. The first train departed from the Howrah Maidan terminal at 2:15 pm, reaching Esplanade in just eight minutes with 650 passengers on board. Services continued until 9:45 pm, with 31 trains running in each direction. Subhasis Saha, a doctor working in the districts over the weekend, recounted that as he disembarked from his train from Asansol, he heard repeated announcements at Howrah railway station about the start of the East-West Metro's Sunday services. He quickly made his way to the Metro station and boarded one of the waiting trains, mentioning that all he had to do was cross over to Esplanade for the North-South line to reach his home in Bansdroni. The Howrah Maidan line connects Esplanade via the Hooghly river, linking Howrah with Kolkata. Of the four underground stations on this stretch, one is located within Howrah railway station, and another connects with the New Garia-Dakshineswar or North-South line at Esplanade. Sayantan Sikdar, one of the first Sunday passengers, shared that Sunday was the only day he was free, so he decided to take his family on this unique ride on India?s first under-river Metro. The New Town resident was reportedly seen smiling as he recounted the experience. Metro Railway GM P Uday Kumar Reddy mentioned that it is anticipated that around 7 lakh people will travel daily once the entire East-West Metro becomes operational from Sector V to Howrah Maidan. The CPRO expressed great satisfaction in being able to meet the needs of commuters. Currently, the East-West Metro operates along two separate sections: the 4.8 km stretch from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade via the river Hooghly and the 9.4 km stretch from Sector V to Sealdah. However, the 2.5 km Esplanade-Sealdah section remains incomplete due to its passage through the subsidence-prone Bowbazar area in central Kolkata. Officials reiterated on Sunday that the Sector V-Sealdah, or Green line 1, will continue to operate six days a week, with no Sunday services being introduced on that section. An official mentioned that the entire 16.6 km East-West Metro is expected to be fully operational by March 2025, after which the entire corridor will function seven days a week. The Sector V-Sealdah stretch, which was opened in phases, currently ferries around 48,000 passengers daily, while the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade stretch has a daily ridership of around 47,000.

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