Commuters using Park Street Metro station need no longer use the underpass below the tracks to catch a Dum Dum-bound train or to exit the station after getting off one.

An entrance on the western footpath of JL Nehru Road, near the Mayo Road intersection and the Calcutta Police Club tent, opened last Friday after being kept shut for years. Metro gives the low-down.

What else is new?

A ticketing counter has been opened and smart gates installed on the Mayo Road side of Park Street station. A passenger who enters the station through the new gate and wants to take a Dum Dum-bound Metro can buy a token and proceed to the platform directly.

Why has the gate been opened so many years after it was built?

The gate has been opened to ensure "easier entry and dispersal" now that the passenger count has gone up, a Metro spokesperson said. She said the gate had been kept shut because not many passengers would use it. Metro Railway had previously opened the gate only on special occasions - to ease the festive rush of commuters on December 25 and 31, 2015, and January 1 this year.

What was the entry-exit system until the change?

All the other Park Street station gates lead to the eastern flank of JL Nehru Road, around the Park Street crossing. Until Friday, all the ticketing counters were on that side of the station. After buying a token there, a commuter needed to enter the New Garia (Kavi Subhash)-bound platform before taking the underpass to the platform on the other side of the tracks for a Dum Dum-bound train.

Similarly, someone alighting from a Dum Dum-bound train had to take the underpass to come to the New Garia (Kavi Subhash)-bound platform and go past the smart gates to exit the station.

How does the new gate help?

The elderly and the ailing would benefit the most, as would rush-hour commuters. Taking the underpass not only meant walking a long way but also increased the chances of missing a train.