Metro suspends 10.40 pm Blue Line special service indefinitely

Kolkata: Late-night commuters in the city will have to make do without the Kolkata Metro’s 10.40 pm special service from Wednesday, with Metro Railway suspending the Blue Line run indefinitely, citing operational constraints.

“Due to prevailing operational constraints and other issues on account of the suspension of Kavi Subhash station, Metro Railway is reorganising train operations,” the Metro Railway authorities said in a communication on Tuesday. “Therefore, the special experimental service on the Blue Line from Dum Dum and Shahid Khudiram at 10.40 pm will not run from September 3, 2025, until further notice.”

The late-night service, introduced in May 24, 2024 after a Calcutta High Court directive to extend operating hours, initially ran at 11 pm on weekdays before being advanced to 10.40 pm on June 24 that year. Trains departed simultaneously from Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash. Following the closure of Kavi Subhash (New Garia) station, the terminal was curtailed to Shahid Khudiram. From January 1 this year, Metro authorities had also imposed a Rs 10 surcharge on every ticket for the service, irrespective of distance, citing poor patronage. Despite that, the withdrawal has come as a setback for passengers dependent on late-night travel.

“The Metro was the safest and most reliable option after 10 pm. Now we will be left to bargain with taxis and app cabs,” said an IT professional from Dum Dum. Subhasis Sengupta, vice-president of the Metro Railway Progotisil Sramik Karmachari Union, added: “This last Metro train catered to many passengers who depend on it. With its withdrawal, commuters’ interests have again been affected.”

With the suspension, the last regular services on the Blue Line will now run as per the standard timetable: 9.32 pm from Shahid Khudiram to Dakshineswar, 9.33 pm from Dakshineswar to Shahid Khudiram, and 9.44 pm from Shahid Khudiram to Dum Dum.