After 2013, Kolkata Metro fare might rise again

Due to extended expenditure, the Kolkata metro general manager has written to the Rail board, asking it to grant permission for a fare hike.

The last time metro fare was hiked was back in 2013 but due to the rise in expenditure in running the metro services, the authorities have requested the board for a price hike. 

According to sources the first zone fare would be hiked from Rs 5 to Rs 10 but the fare of travelling long distance would remain the same. Moreover, it is said that the metro authorities are considering lowering the fare rate by Rs 5 in the long distance journeys. According to metro officials the short distance journey tickets sell much more than the long distance ones. So, if the ticket price of this zone is increased the excess expenditure would somehow be curbed.

The daily passengers on the other hand are completely fine with the price hike but only if the metro services improved drastically. According to them, since the last five years the Kolkata metro has seen a number of technical failures like getting stuck in a tunnel, the faulty automatic doors and even fire breakouts inside the compartments. The passengers have urged the metro rail authorities to deal with these problems before implementing the fare hike.

According to metro authorities the fare of the Kolkata metro is comparatively less than all the other cities. Now the decision of a fare hike depends solely on the Railway board.