Metro services on the north-south corridor (Blue Line) were disrupted for almost an hour on Wednesday because of waterlogging in the tunnel between Kalighat and Jatin Das Park stations.
“An overflowing drain was spotted along the tracks between Jatin Das Park and Kalighat around 11.20am. A power block had to be taken to ensure the safety of passengers. The power had to be pumped out,” said a Metro official.
The waterlogging was linked to sharp spells of rain. The Met office recorded around 25mm of rain in Alipore between 11.30am on Tuesday and 11.30am on Wednesday.
Train services were suspended between Maidan and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge) stations because of the power block.
The official claimed that trains rain between Dakhsineswar and Maidan in the north and between Tollygunge and Shahid Khudiram (Briji) in the south. But passengers alleged long waiting periods at stations.
The block was lifted around 12.10pm and full services resumed soon after, the Metro official said.
In the interim, trains remained stranded and platforms crowded at several stations.
Atanu Biswas had boarded a Dakshineswar-bound train from Gitanjali (Naktala) Metro station around 11.30am. He was supposed to get down at Central. But the train did not move beyond Tollygunge.
“I had to vacate the train along with other passengers. I waited for a while before walking out and boarded a bus,” said Biswas, who works at an office on BB Ganguly Street.
On the roads outside, buses were packed and app cabs charged more than usual.
On June 30 this year, waterlogging between Central and Chandni Chowk stations crippled Metro services for a couple of hours in the peak office rush.
On May 27 last year, overnight rain caused by Cyclone Remal flooded Park Street and Esplanade Metro stations, crippling the transport lifeline of Calcutta for hours.
Metro Rail’s tunnel between Tollygunge and Dum Dum, which is 40 years old, is set to undergo a complete overhaul in the coming days.
The rehabilitation project would cost more than ₹500 crore. Metro had engaged consulting agency RITES to draw up the plan. A tender has already been floated in this regard, said Metro sources.