The Metro Railway mess, caused by the route extension from August 23 without adequate planning, has come under the scanner of the Railway Board.

Two senior officials from Delhi spent Tuesday and Wednesday inspecting the fault lines of Calcutta’s most preferred transit system now struggling to cope with the additional 5.83km stretch.

Sources said reports carried by The Telegraph on Monday (see grab), highlighting the problems of the Metro, had prompted the sudden inspection by two additional members of the Railway Board.

Vijay Kumar Dutt (additional member electrical) and Chandra Pal Verma (additional member signal and telecom), inspected the maintenance, services, signalling and other operational facilities of Metro Railway over two days.

“We have visited the new route, spoken to passengers and inspected other facilities and operational systems,” Dutt told Metro on Wednesday afternoon before leaving the city. “There is scope for improvement and we will be taking the necessary steps to make the facilities better.”

According to sources, the duo held meetings with senior Metro officials, reviewed the performance and discussed possible solutions. They quizzed passengers about delays, overcrowding and other problems faced since the Tollygunge-Garia Bazar stretch was opened. They will be preparing a report on their return to Delhi.

Metro officials claimed on Wednesday that things were rapidly returning to normal. “The delays have been minimised and extra manpower is being deployed at ticket counters to prevent overcrowding,” said a Metro official.

But when the two Railway Board officials were doing the rounds, trains were running late, sources said. “The delay time has been brought down but punctuality remains a problem,” they admitted.