Kolkata: Services on the Kolkata Metro’s East–West corridor (Green Line) between Howrah Maidan and Salt Lake Sector V were disrupted for more than two hours on Wednesday due to a technical glitch.
According to Metro officials, the glitch occurred around 10.36 am, leading to a complete suspension of services along the entire 16.6-kilometre stretch. Partial services resumed at 11.46 am between Howrah Maidan and Sealdah, while full through services between Howrah Maidan and Sector V were restored at 1.01 pm. The disruption forced many passengers to switch to road transport. Commuters travelling to and from Salt Lake faced particular difficulties, as no direct services to Sector V were available even after partial restoration.
The Green Line, fully operational since August 22, carries more than two lakh passengers on weekdays, making it the second busiest corridor after the North–South (Blue Line). On September 15, the East–West corridor carried 2.04 lakh riders out of the Metro network’s total 7.83 lakh, while the Blue Line accounted for 5.6 lakh.
Fortunately, Wednesday’s disruption coincided with a state holiday for Viswakarma Puja, resulting in a relatively lighter rush compared to a regular working day. Still, passengers reported irregular services for some time even after
services resumed. While the Blue Line has faced repeated snags in recent times, the Green Line has so far remained trouble-free. Wednesday’s fault, however, has raised concerns among commuters.