Blue line to get 183 fare collection gates across nine stations

Kolkata: Kolkata Metro Railway has floated a tender to upgrade its automatic fare collection and passenger control (AFC-PC) system on the 41-year-old North–South corridor (Blue Line), with 183 automatic gates (AGs) to be installed across nine stations at an estimated cost of Rs 25.66 crore.

The project covers the design, supply, testing, installation and commissioning of AFC-PC gates at Dumdum, Chandni Chowk, Central, Esplanade, Rabindra Sadan, Kalighat, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar, Kavi Nazrul and Kavi Subhash stations. The work includes the replacement of ageing gates and the addition of new units, along with cabling, fittings and system integration. Bidding will close on April 16 and the project is scheduled for completion within 240 days.

Dumdum will receive 37 gates at an estimated cost of Rs 4.99 crore, while Esplanade will have 33 gates costing Rs 4.45 crore. Chandni Chowk and Central will get 16 gates each at Rs 2.16 crore per station.

Rabindra Sadan will have 17 gates at Rs 2.29 crore, Kalighat 21 gates at Rs 2.83 crore and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar 18 gates at Rs 2.43 crore. Kavi Nazrul will get 11 gates costing Rs 1.48 crore, while Kavi Subhash will have 14 gates at Rs 1.89 crore.

Around 170 existing AFC-PC gate cabinets will be dismantled and shifted to the Noapara car shed.

The move follows complaints of malfunctioning gates, particularly after the introduction of QR code-based paper tickets. Commuters have reported delays at entry and exit points due to gates failing to read tickets and even smart cards, leading to congestion, especially during peak hours.

Metro officials said improper QR code scanning contributes to the issue, but ageing infrastructure and a lack of spare parts have also affected performance. Many existing AFC-PC gates were installed over a decade ago and are due for replacement.