Metro services on the Blue Line came to a halt for over an hour on Wednesday afternoon, marking yet another disruption on the often snag-ridden corridor.
The timing could not have been worse. The outage coincided with a BJP rally that brought traffic to a near standstill in the heart of Calcutta. Many commuters who relied on the underground network to avoid road congestion were left stranded.
A technical glitch on the tracks between MG Road and Girish Park stations was reported around 12.50 pm. As a result, train services between Maidan and Dum Dum were suspended for 90 minutes.
During the disruption, services were truncated in the north between Dakshineswar and Dum Dum, and in the south between Maidan and Shahid Khudiram. Full service between Dakshineswar and Shahid Khudiram was restored at 2.25 pm, an official said.
A Dakshineswar-bound train was stuck at Maidan station when railway protection force (RPF) jawans went through each compartment, asking passengers to evacuate due to the snag.
Passengers complained that no announcements were made about the disruption. Some initially approached the motorman’s cabin seeking an explanation, then moved to the stationmaster’s room to register their grievances.
RPF personnel acknowledged the frequent disruptions, expressing helplessness over the recurring issues on the line.
Amit Kumar Burnwal, an insurance agent and one of the stranded commuters, recounted his experience. “I boarded a Dakshineswar-bound train from Shahid Khudiram around 12.20pm. The display showed an arrival time of 12.07pm, but the train was late. It moved slowly, stopping longer than usual at each station. By the time it reached Maidan, it was around 12.45pm — much longer than normal,” he said.
“Disruptions have become a daily affair. The least Metro can do is make timely announcements,” he added.
With some of the busiest central stations out of service, crowds of commuters waited outside for alternative transport. Options were scarce as traffic was gridlocked due to the rally.
The BJP rally began after 1.45pm, moving from College Square to the Dorina intersection in Esplanade. SN Banerjee Road, Moulali, JL Nehru Road, and Chowringhee were heavily congested.
“A flank of Rani Rashmoni Avenue was closed to vehicles. Dorina-bound traffic on SN Banerjee Road was diverted through Moulali, while north-bound traffic on Chowringhee was rerouted via JL Nehru Road,” a traffic police officer said. “These diversions remained in place until around 4.30pm.”
The north-south Blue Line corridor has been under intense pressure ever since commercial operations were suspended at Kavi Subhash (New Garia) station on July 28 due to cracks in platform pillars. This southern terminal suspension has significantly worsened delays and disruptions.
Currently, Blue Line trains terminate at Shahid Khudiram (Briji) in the south. However, this station lacks adequate infrastructure for a terminal, and the longer turnaround time for trains switching direction has caused cascading delays across the line.
To ease the burden, the operator introduced a partial fix in mid-September by terminating some southbound trains at Mahanayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge) station before turning them back north. Tollygunge, a former southern terminal, has infrastructure for train reversals.
While this measure has reduced the severity of problems, challenges persist.
The ageing infrastructure of the Blue Line, which started operating in the 1980s, compounds the issues. The signalling system, tracks, and tunnels are all over four decades old. Officials said that as these components continue to age, disruptions will remain inevitable.
A complete overhaul of the Blue Line is planned, and steps to initiate this process have begun, but no timeline has been announced.
To improve operations, the operator plans to install a new rake reversal point at Shahid Khudiram. Completing this work will require a weekend traffic block, likely scheduled after Diwali, according to sources.