The absence of an advanced signalling system will force the Metro Railway to run trains at a 20-minute interval in two of the three Metro links that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate on Wednesday.
The New Garia-Ruby section, part of the New Garia-Airport (Orange) line, and the Joka-Majerhat section, part of the upcoming Joka-Esplanade (Purple) line, are not yet equipped with the CBTC (communications-based train control) system, that uses advanced telecommunication technology to run trains.
“The CBTC system is not yet installed in these two sections. As a result, there
will be one train in 20 minutes,” said a senior Metro official.
As a result, only three trains will be needed for commercial runs in each of the two sections.
“Three rakes for each section will be sufficient for now. The number of rakes will go up once the CBTC system is installed,” the official said.
The rakes that will be run on these two sections are from the north-south corridor (Blue Line), the most populous Metro route in Kolkata that connects New Garia and Dakshineswar.
In CBTC system, a train picks up signal from the tracks and becomes a moving block. The tracks are open for a train to move only when the preceding train moves. If the tracks ahead are blocked, a train will stop automatically.
The Joka-Esplanade corridor is now operational between Joka and Taratala. On Wednesday, it will be extended till Majerhat.
In the Joka-Taratala section, trains run at an interval of 40 minutes now. There
are only 24 services a day and the passenger count is very low.
But it is expected to rise once Majerhat is included in the Metro map as the Majerhat suburban railway station will be easily accessible to Metro passengers.
The New Garia-Ruby line is yet to see commercial runs.
Both sections recently received the nod from the chief commissioner of railway safety for a “one train only system” with an electronic interlocking based signalling system.
“It means two trains can now run simultaneously, one in each direction. This is one step ahead of the earlier system on which one train would have to complete a journey between two stations and then switch the tracks and make the return journey again,” said a Metro official.
“The electronic interlocking based system is a step towards CBTC. Work is underway to have the advance system installed in the new sections. But it will take time,” said the official.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi is also expected to launch the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the East-West corridor (Green Line), including a stretch under the Hooghly.
The East-West corridor, which will link Howrah Maidan and Sector V when fully operational, now sees commercial services between Sector V and Sealdah.
This corridor runs on the CBTC system. The peak-hour frequency is around 12 minutes. “We have sufficient rakes. We will take a call on the interval in due time,” said the senior Metro official.
Sources in the carrier said the present East-West fleet has 14 rakes. They are six-coach rakes built by the Bangalore-based PSU, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML). “We have placed an order for three more rakes,” said the official.
Metro Railway has said that the Prime Minister will inaugurate the three lines on Wednesday but there was no confirmation on when would commercial services start in these lines.
The carrier, however, has come out with a fare chart in the run-up to the launches.
It says a journey from Howrah station to Ruby (Hemanta Mukherjee) station will cost Rs 50. The ticket will enable the passenger to access three different Metro lines.
“The passenger will board a Green Line train from Howrah and get down at Esplanade. From Esplanade, she will board a Blue Line (north-south corridor) train to New Garia. From there, she will board an Orange Line train to Ruby,” said Kausik Mitra, the Metro spokesperson.
