The Kolkata Metro is gearing up for the Durga Puja rush later this week, which is likely to stretch the already problem-ridden network further. With surface transport slowing to a crawl across wide swathes of the city during the last five days of the festival, large numbers of commuters will depend on the Metro.
To begin with, the Metro authorities have changed the regular schedule for services on the final four days of the Puja. While on October 13 (Sasthi), the network will operate as usual, services will be available between 2pm-12 am on October 14 (Saptami).
On the following two days — October 15 and 16, which are Aasthami and Nabami respectively — Metro services will be available between 2pm-4 am. The frequency of trains will be synchronised with the expected rush hours on all these days, officials added.
During last years' Durga Puja, the Metro had recorded an average daily ridership of 5,31,000 passengers. However, as the daily ridership of the network currently stands at above 6,00,000, officials are expecting an increase of between 40,000-50,000 additional passengers in the coming few days.
“The last two stations of the southern extension have also been opened, so there could be an increase in the number of passengers,” the official added. Railway minister Mamata Banerjee last week inaugurated the final two stations of the Kolkata Metro's southern extension project, which, incidentally, had been inaugurated a decade back.
Infrastructure problems
The Kolkata Metro has been unable to upgrade vital infrastructure that would have allowed it to cope better with the steady increase in ridership, which it has seen since the augmentation of the network last year.
The system continues to operate on 17 of the original 18 rakes that were procured, and the two new air-conditioned rakes which have recently been commissioned may not plying the entire length of the route just yet. “They could only be used in the Tollygunge-New Garia section. A final decision is yet to be taken,” an official said.
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At the same time, the ticketing system of the Metro remains to be upgraded. Although Railways' information technology arm CRIS has been given the responsibility of installing a new system, officials admit that “there have been delays”.
The delay could well have an adverse impact on commuters as a number of existing turnstiles are glitch-ridden, additionally it will effect the earnings of the Kolkata Metro.
Earlier this year, as many as 1,00,000 passengers were reportedly travelling without tickets on the network.