The city got Metro on three new stretches on Friday — Ruby-New Garia, Taratala-Majerhat and Esplanade-Howrah Maidan.
One of the lines, which connects Howrah with the heart of Calcutta across the Hooghly river, promises immediate change to the way the city travels.
This newspaper spoke to a number of everyday commuters for a sense of the change that East-West Metro can make to their lives. Here are some of them
Sampriti Chattopadhyay PalMusic teacher
- Travels from: Dhaniakhali in Hooghly to Tollygunge
- Usually takes: 2 hours
- Friday: 1 hour 30 minutes
Why I am excited: It will save 30 minutes of my travel time every day one-way.
That means an hour every day. Earlier, I used to go to Bally by train, take an auto
to Dakshineswar and then take the north-south Metro to Tollygunge. The road from the Bally railway station to the Dakshineswar Metro station has heavy traffic and is prone to snarls. Now, that time can be saved.
Koushik Ghosh
Central government employee
- Travels from: Chandernagore to Dalhousie
- Usually takes: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Friday: 1 hour 5 minutes (including 50 minutes from Chandernagore to Howrah by local train)
Why I am excited: The Metro service opens another option, apart from the ferry and the bus, to cross the Hooghly and reach my office. Buses and steamers are usually crowded and slow. The Metro ride will save time for daily commuters like me. It will also be more convenient and comfortable.
Pratap Chandra Sahoo
Works on a project for a state government undertaking
- Travels from: Ramrajatala in Howrah to Hazra
- Usually takes: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Friday: 45 minutes
Why I am excited: The travel time has reduced by half and the journey is more comfortable. I used to board a bus from Santragachhi that would take one-and-a-half-hours to two hours to reach Hazra. On Friday, it took me about 45 minutes. I took a train to Howrah, then Metro to Esplanade and another Metro to Jatin Das Park. From there, I took an autorickshaw to my office.
Mihir Chakraborty
Works in financial services company in Jeevandeep building
- Travels from: Bandel in Hooghly to Maidan
- Usually takes: 2 hours
- Friday ride: 1 hour 30 minutes
Why I am excited: More than the time, I felt today’s journey was way more comfortable. On other days I used to take a train to Howrah, take a bus to Esplanade and then another bus to Maidan. On Friday, I took the Metro from Howrah station to Esplanade and then another Metro to Maidan. This was very comfortable as I did not have to step outside in the heat.
Sovan Kumar Mukherjee
A retired Eastern Railway employee
- Travels from: Howrah to Esplanade
- Usually takes: 20 minutes
- Friday ride: 10 minutes
Why I am excited: I used to have a lot of difficulty in coming to my office (on Strand Road) from Howrah. There were long gaps between two ferry services and thelaunches were verycrowded. Travellingby bus was not verypleasant either. I have come here to see the change by myself.
