Calcutta, July 16: Metro services were disrupted for over an hour today after a young woman committed suicide by jumping in front of a Dum Dum-bound train at Esplanade at 2.04pm.

Trains ran between Kavi Subhash and Maidan and Noapara and Central till the body was retrieved. Normal services resumed around 3.14pm, a Metro spokesperson said.

Passengers had a tough time as overcrowded trains ran behind schedule.

Samir Das, who was on the platform in Esplanade, said: "The woman was standing a few metres behind me. Just as the train entered, she jumped in front of it."

The driver had slammed the emergency brakes, a Metro official said.

Some passengers said they did not know of the suicide till the gates opened after about 20 minutes. Amit Mondal, who was in the first compartment, said he heard a thud before the train stopped. "We kept waiting for 15-20 minutes. We got to know that a woman had committed suicide only after the gates opened and there was an announcement on the public address system."

The woman has been identified as Ranjana Verma, 23, of Baranagar.