Commercial services likely to start in Dec

Kolkata: The commercial services on Joka-Taratala metro line, which is part of the Joka-Esplanade Metro line also known as the purple line, may start from the second week of December. Earlier, the General Manager of Metro Railway Arun Arora had said that the work for the line will be completed by December 10.

The Metro Railway had received a green signal for the line from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) in the middle of this month. The work on the line has also taken up speed since the approval as according to Metro Railway officials, the aim to start the services for the public as soon as possible. To ensure that the goal is met, the Metro Railway has already started transporting the air-conditioned rakes to Joka. Once the rakes are assembled, the officials will be conducting another trial run before opening the services to the people.

The stations on this Metro line do not have smart gates as of now. Thus, the metro railway has planned on bringing back the paper tickets and later introduces tokens and smart cards. Initially, the One Train Only System will commence on this stretch, which has six stations, including Joka, Thakurpukur, Sakherbazar, Behala Chowrasta, Behala Bazar, and Taratala. Work is underway for the remaining part of the line, which will eventually connect Esplanade at the heart of the city with the south-western suburbs.

After Metro services in the Joka-Taratala line begin, traffic may increase on Diamond Harbour Road. On Saturday, two outposts of Thakurpukur Traffic Guard—in Sakherbazar and Joka—were inaugurated by the Commissioner of Police Vineet Kumar Goyal. "Diamond Harbour Road is a very important road from a traffic point of view. In the future when the Metro starts, the number of pedestrians will increase. To accommodate the changes, these traffic outposts are much needed. We will be able to manage the traffic better from here," Goyal said. Meanwhile, Commissioner of Railway Safety may inspect another metro line i.e. New Garia-Ruby (orange line) sometime this week. The date of visit has not been confirmed by the metro railway officials as of yet.