A surge in passenger footfall at Shahid Khudiram (Briji) Metro station — now the temporary terminal on the north-south corridor — has led police to seek additional force deployment to manage traffic and pedestrian movement at the EM Bypass-Garia Station Road crossing.
Following cracks in four pillars at Kavi Subhash station, services have remained suspended there since July 28. As a result, passengers headed for New Garia have been deboarding at Shahid Khudiram, swelling the average daily footfall from 10,000 to 20,000, Metro officials said.
Garia Station Road, with Garia railway station on the west, intersects with EM Bypass at Dhalai Bridge. A portion of the Garia Station Road footpath outside Shahid Khudiram is fenced off and the remaining space is insufficient to handle the surge of passengers exiting the Metro station in waves.
Pedestrian surge
The situation has grown so critical that, during peak hours, officers are forced to use ropes to prevent indiscriminate road crossing near Dhalai Bridge.
Rosters for sergeants and officers have been adjusted to ensure maximum presence during mornings and evenings when pedestrian overflow blocks the road and brings vehicles to a crawl.
“Garia Station Road, just 24 feet wide and with traffic moving both ways, has no proper footpath. Passengers walking from the Metro station to EM Bypass near Dhalai Bridge are forced onto the road, risking accidents,” said a senior Kolkata Police officer. “Managing peak-hour traffic has become a Herculean task.”
Narrow road
Garia Station Road serves as a key feeder for commuters from Sonarpur, Baruipur, and Budge Budge. Many of them arrive by train at Garia railway station and take autos and private buses to reach the Metro.
The stretch includes two schools and lacks a median divider, which adds to the chaos. Vehicles, including autos, buses, e-rickshaws, and heavy goods vehicles, jostle for space on the narrow road, often blocking each other and spilling onto EM Bypass.
“Any disruption along Garia Station Road leads to tailbacks up to the Kamalgazi flyover,” said an officer from the Garia traffic guard. “We pray that no vehicle breaks down during peak hours.”
A Garia resident, Anuradha Ghosh, whose daughter studies in a local school, said: “Reaching school on time is a daily challenge. Sometimes we have to get off the autorickshaws or buses and walk down the road.”
Metro support sought
A section of Ruby-bound and Garia-bound traffic turns left at Dhalai Bridge to access Garia Station Road. “We are now deploying police officers along the median to prevent the overflow of Metro passengers on the stretch from obstructing traffic,” an officer said.
To ease the situation, the police have written to Metro Rail requesting partial resumption of services to Kavi Subhash on the unaffected track. “We have written to Metro Rail to explore the possibility of extending services till Kavi Subhash on one line, where there are no cracks in the pillars. This will help manage passenger flow significantly,” the officer said.
However, senior Metro officials said no such request has been received so far — and even if it was, running trains with passengers on just one line is not feasible.
“Only empty rakes are allowed to move from Shahid Khudiram to Kavi Subhash. Passenger operations on one track are not an option,” a Metro official said.
