Keeping in mind growing footfall, Kolkata Metro to increase peak-hr frequency

Kolkata: The Kolkata Metro Railway registered the highest number of daily ridership three weeks after it resumed commercial run on Friday.

Metro services, suspended in the wake of COVID-19, begun operations after a gap of 176 days on September 14.

"On Friday (October 9, 2020), the total passenger count was 72,091. The passenger count in the North-South Line was 71,562 and East-West Line was 529," said an official.

On September 14, the total number passengers who availed the service was 20,000 (83 passengers in the East- West Line and the rest in the North-South Line).

Last week, there was an increase of 21,000 commuters. On an average, the passenger count is increasing by 1500-2,000 on a daily basis. The footfall of passengers increases in the evening when people leave their offices and head home.

The Kolkata Metro Railway has also decided run to additional services from Monday to cater to the increasing passenger count with each passing day. It will run 146 daily services at an interval of 8 minutes in the morning and evening peak hours instead of 122 services running presently.

The official informed that these services will be run from Monday to Saturday. 64 services will be run on Sundays from October 18 from 10.10 am to 9.30 pm instead of 58 services being run now.

This apart, the last Metro service will be pushed back by half-an-hour from Monday. The last Metro will now leave from both ends i.e. Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash at 8.30 pm instead of 8.00 pm and from Noapara at 20.25 pm from Monday to Saturday and at 20.23 pm on Sundays.