Metro Railway will introduce longer operating hours and more services on the Yellow Line from November 3 for office goers, students and fliers headed to and from the airport.
Starting Monday, on the Noapara to Jai Hind Bimanbandar (Airport) transit weekday services will be extended by more than an hour and additional trains will operate on weekends, reducing waiting time for passengers.
From Monday to Friday, a total of 120 services, including 60 in each direction, will run between Noapara and Jai Hind Bimanbandar. Trains will operate from 7.18am to 9.30pm, compared with the earlier schedule of 7.55am to 8.17pm. The first train will leave Noapara at 7.18am and the airport-bound train will start at 7.40am. The last train from Noapara will leave at 8.58pm, and the final service from the airport will start at 9.18pm.
On Saturdays, the number of services will increase to 92 from the previous 44. The operating hours will be from 7.18am to 9.30pm, beginning with a 7.18am train from Noapara and a 7.40am service from the airport. The last trains will leave at 8.58pm from Noapara and 9.18pm from the airport.
Sunday commuters will also get some relief. Services will increase to 78 from 40 at present, with trains running from 9.18am to 9.30pm. The first train will depart Noapara at 9.18am and the airport at 9.40am, while the last trains will leave at 8.58pm and 9.18pm respectively.
On weekends, trains will run every 18 minutes instead of 35 minutes, making late evening airport travel smoother and more reliable.
Metro has also announced a minor timing adjustment on the Green Line from November 1. On Saturdays, 186 services will run instead of 226. The first Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah Maidan service will now start at 6.32am, seven minutes earlier than before, while the first Howrah Maidan train will continue to leave at 6.30am. The last services will remain unchanged at 9.45pm from Howrah Maidan and 9.47pm from Salt Lake Sector V.