Howrah Maidan-Esplanade stretch: Commuters notice dip in footfall

Kolkata: Commuters using the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade stretch of the Green Line Metro services experienced a noticeable decrease in crowd size on Tuesday. This change comes after the revised schedule was implemented on Monday due to ongoing construction work to connect Esplanade

and Sealdah.

In the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade stretch, there are no separate lines for incoming and outgoing trains; both eastbound and westbound tunnels are utilised for trains travelling in both directions. From Monday, trains in the westbound tunnel are operating only between Howrah Maidan and Mahakaran stations, while the eastbound tunnel services are running as usual from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade.

As a result, the time gap between trains travelling between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade has increased from 12 minutes to 24 minutes. On Monday, commuters struggled with the increased wait times, leading to overcrowded conditions. By Tuesday, the situation had improved slightly as many commuters opted for alternative transportation due to the longer wait times.

Ritushree Ghosh from Bhadreswar, who was waiting at Esplanade for a Howrah Maidan-bound Metro, expressed her initial struggle with the revised schedule. “I didn’t know about the service revisions and had to wait at Howrah for nearly 30 minutes as the first train was so crowded I couldn’t board it,” she said.

Security personnel at Mahakaran station were seen guiding commuters throughout the day. They informed passengers that the Metro coming from Howrah Maidan in the westbound tunnel would not proceed to Esplanade. Amrita Banik, who was travelling from Tarakeswar, deboarded at Mahakaran and waited nearly 10 minutes before catching the next Metro to Esplanade. Banik, a first-time user of this stretch, initially seemed confused but quickly adapted with the guidance of Metro staff.

Mala Sardar from Sankrail, Howrah, decided to avoid the metro during peak hours. Sardar, a regular commuter, reported a noticeable decrease in the crowd. “I was aware of the situation and decided to take the bus in the morning. The crowd is much less today,” she said.

A Metro staff member echoed this sentiment, noting that the crowd was significantly higher on Monday than on Tuesday. “Today, everyone seems to be aware of the changes and may be opting for buses,” he said.