Kolkata Metro imposes Rs 10 surcharge on night services Tickets from Jan 1

Kolkata: Commuters using Kolkata Metro’s special night services on the Blue Line (Dakshineswar-Kavi Subhash) will have to pay more from January 1, 2025, as Metro Railway has announced a Rs. 10 surcharge on every ticket for these services, regardless of the distance travelled by the commuter.

The special night services, operational on weekdays, depart from Kavi Subhash (New Garia) and Dum Dum at 10:40 pm. According to an official statement issued by Metro Railway on Tuesday, the decision to impose the surcharge was made due to the low occupancy of these services. “This experimental surcharge will be reviewed in due course,” said a Metro Railway spokesperson.

The surcharge was initially set to be imposed on December 10. However, its implementation was deferred by the authorities at the last moment, citing technical reasons. It will now come into effect from January 1.

The special night services were first introduced on May 24 following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, which instructed Metro Railway to extend its operating hours by 45 minutes beyond the usual 9:40 pm cutoff. Initially, the special services operated at 11 pm on weekdays, but the schedule was later adjusted by 20 minutes on June 24, setting the current 10:40 pm timing.