The long-awaited raze-and-repair job at Kavi Subhash (New Garia) Metro station on the north-south corridor or Blue Line will begin this Sunday, said officials.
Before the work starts at New Garia, a rake-reversal point will be installed at Shahid Khudiram (Briji) station, they said.
A traffic block will be needed between Briji and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge). As a result, trains will not run between Tollygunge and Briji on Sunday. Trains will, however, run between Dakshineswar and Tollygunge, said a Metro official.
The Blue Line had been put under tremendous pressure following the suspension of commercial services at the New Garia station — the southern terminal — because of cracks in platform pillars from July 28 last year.
The platform meant for Dakshineswar-bound trains will be demolished and rebuilt.
Since July 29, Shahid Khudiram Metro Station has been serving as the southern terminus of the corridor. However, it lacks infrastructure befitting a terminal station. The absence of a rake-reversal point is one such example.
“The work at Kavi Subhash will start on May 17. The demolition will take between four and six weeks, while the construction is expected to take six to seven months,” said Subhransu Sekhar Mishra, the Metro general manager.
The contract for the job has already been awarded. The work was supposed to start in November after the Puja season. But whenever the work begins, it will put some pressure on the daily operations of the city’s busiest Metro link.
“We were apprehensive that any disruption would be more pronounced in the winter months when the passenger count is on the higher side. Then came the exam season. We did not want to cause any inconvenience to students. The elections were upon us soon after the exam season was over,” said a Metro source.
“The summer vacation will begin in mid-May. So, we thought it would be the best time to start the job,” the source said.
An empty train is still switching tracks at New Garia, and it is taking a few more minutes than usual to make the switch. The longer turnaround time had a cascading effect on the entire corridor, causing delays and overcrowding.
Metro authorities have implemented a series of modifications, including those in the signalling systems, to offset some of the problems.
They will be addressed once the new reversal point is ready, Metro officials pointed out.
However, the suspension of commercial operations at New Garia caused many problems for Metro passengers. New Garia was an interface between the Blue Line and the Orange Line (New Garia-airport corridor). It was also connected to the New Garia suburban railway station.
Thousands of passengers had to change their travel plans because of the closure.
Commissioned in October 2010, the New Garia station showed early signs of structural stress in 2014, when cracks were first noticed during a routine check.
Metro authorities had been monitoring the situation and had floated tenders for reconstruction after Puja. However, heavy rains during the last monsoon worsened the cracks, according to Metro sources.
The New Garia Metro station will be rebuilt with a reinforced design featuring additional underground piles, columns, and enhanced structural support to ensure “full-proof safety,” they said.