The first working day of the full East-West Metro stretch revealed both how popular it is likely to be and the mounting pressure it could put on the older north-south corridor.
Though the total passenger count for the day wasn’t available till late on Monday, till 8pm, the combined footfall on both Metro lines neared 7 lakh, a Metro official said. The north-south Blue Line (Shahid Khudiram to Dakshineswar) usually ferries over 6 lakh passengers daily. The East-West Green Line — from Sector V to Howrah Maidan — is expected to eventually match that volume.
If Monday’s rush is any indicator, Metro authorities will have to quickly ramp up infrastructure to manage the rising demand.
Queues & delays
Around 11.15am, Howrah Metro station saw a crush of commuters. Hundreds queued up for paper tickets. Five ticket counters, opened in the morning, weren’t enough — four more had to be added. At 12.20pm, Sector V station, had four counters and a ticket vending machine struggling to handle the rush. Queues snaked back nearly 100 metres to Exit Gate A. Passengers reported 30-minute waits.
Similar scenes played out at Kalighat, Tollygunge, Esplanade, and other stations. On the platforms, passengers often had to skip multiple trains due to overcrowding. Coach doors struggled to shut as passengers squeezed in. “I could not board a train. Even after I did, it was difficult to breathe inside,” said a commuter who travelled from Tollygunge (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) to Central.
App push
Throughout the day, announcements urged passengers to use smart cards or the Aamar Kolkata Metro app to ease pressure on ticket counters.
“Buying tickets through the app is 5 per cent cheaper. Most of us have smartphones — we’re asking regular users to switch,” said a senior Metro official.
However, the app had issues: Yellow Line stations (Noapara to Jai Hind Bimanbandar) weren’t available for many users. A Metro official said only a quarter of users could access those options on Monday, adding that full access would roll out in phases.
North-south rush
Passengers also reported delays on the north-south Blue Line. A Metro official attributed the hold-ups to time lost while switching tracks at Shahid Khudiram — now the southern terminal since services to Kavi Subhash were suspended on July 28 due to structural cracks in platform pillars.
“We are planning a reversal point at Shahid Khudiram, but it will need signalling and infrastructure upgrades. We are reversing some trains from Tollygunge,” said the official.
Relief, despite crowds
Despite the hiccups, the expanded network brought relief to many.
Samit Kundu, 51, a graphic designer, travelled from Howrah to Phoolbagan. “Earlier, it took me 90 minutes by bus from Howrah to CIT More. Now, I can reach Phoolbagan much faster, saving both time and money.”
A woman who lives near Sector V and travelled to central Calcutta by Metro for the first time. She changed trains at Esplanade. “My usual app cab fare is over ₹350. Today, I spent ₹30. I also saved time,” she said.
A 25-year-old software engineer from Rishra, who works in Sector V, said the Green Line Metro has made her commute safer and cheaper. “I used to spend ₹160 on an Uber shuttle from Howrah to Sector V. Sometimes I worked from home to avoid it. Now commuting is affordable and easier.”