A torrential downpour on Monday left Kolkata scrambling for space as metro services were hit by chaos. Most stations on the North-South corridor were overwhelmed after heavy rain caused widespread flooding, leaving several roads inundated and metro tunnels seeped in water.
Authorities were forced to suspend operations partially.
Since 8:45am, services across five stations between Mahatma Gandhi Road and Park Street came to a halt after which authorities were forced to run limited operations from Maidan to Kavi Subhash.
“We detected water on the metro tracks between Chandni Chowk and Central stations. Prioritising passenger safety, we operated truncated services between Maidan and Kavi Subhash, and from Girish Park to Dakshineswar. Full services resumed at 10:58 AM,” said a public relations officer for Kolkata Metro.
According to eyewitnesses, a person committed suicide at the Belgacchia station, but the metro official has “no information about it”.
When asked about the cause of the water accumulation, the official stated, “Central Kolkata is currently under knee-deep water. However, we are investigating the exact reason behind the water entering the metro tracks.”
Trains stranded, roads choc-a-bloc
Several metro trains remained stranded at stations. However, the disruption during peak hours left thousands of commuters stranded. Many, attempting to reach workplaces in time, abandoned metro stations in search of alternative transport, leading to growing crowds and severe traffic congestion.
Picture By Soumyajit Dey
SP Mukherjee road, Jawaharlal Nehru road and Middleton Street crossing were overwhelmed after metro services threw a fit.
Central Avenue was blocked due to waterlogging. In the north side during peak hours the Manicktala main road from Kankurganchi was blocked. Traffic was also stuck on Amherst street and Bidhan Sarani.
At Maidan station, the escalators were shut down due to overcrowding, and the roads outside metro stations saw vehicles mounting sidewalks to escape traffic.
App-based cabs swing into action
Passengers reported fare surges by app-based cabs, with some claiming it took over an hour to travel short distances by bus. As a result, several commuters opted to walk to their destinations.
Second time in a week
This is the second such disruption in recent days. On Saturday evening, services were similarly affected when a burst pipe flooded a concrete drainage canal between Jatin Das Park and Kalighat stations on the Dum Dum-bound line. The incident led to a suspension of metro services between 3:40pm and 4:35pm.
