Kolkata Metro Grapples To Keep Up With Passenger Surge Ahead Of Durga Puja; Officials Ask Commuters To ‘Cooperate’

Kolkata Metro: The city of joy braces itself to handle the massive surge in crowds for the annual Durga Puja celebrations. The Kolkata Metro Blue Line, which runs through the heart of the city, is witnessing record footfall, resulting in chaos in the major transportation network of the city.

Data from the first week of September shows that passenger footfall has exceeded 6.5 lakh per day. A record-breaking number of 8.07 lakh passengers was recorded on September 1. This surge has exposed the vulnerabilities of the city’s metro, raising the important question- ‘Is the Kolkata Metro ready to face the population surge due to Durga Puja 2025?’

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Kolkata Metro Grapples With Surging Population

Blue Line, which is the oldest and most heavily used metro corridor by commuters in the city, is bearing the brunt of this population surge. Its primary interchange station, Esplanade, is already finding it tough to keep up with the number of people who throng to this place due to shopping, as per a report by the Indian Express. 

But the ball does not stop here; older stations like Chandini Chowk and Central are also experiencing this same problem. “During the pre-Puja season, Metro trains are usually crowded, but this year it is impossible to board during office hours. From 6.15 pm to 7.00 pm, I often let two or three trains pass because the gates won’t close due to the massive crowds. I can only get on about one out of every three trains,” said Arbindo Das, a regular Blue Line passenger.

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To add to the problem, operational setbacks have already added to the pressure that these stations are facing. The Kavi Subhash terminal on the Blue Line has been closed for maintenance since July 28. Occasional technical snags like the one that occurred on September 8 have also piled up on the misery of the commuters. 

The opening of the Yellow Line or the Airport Line, which makes the interchange with the Blue Line, also makes the operations more complicated for the metro officials. Currently, the officials are trying to separate the Yellow Line from the Blue Line, as it has done for the Green Line and Orange Line. 

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Officials Ask Passengers To ‘Cooperate’

Even as the infrastructure does not provide a solution to the problems of the commuters, the metro officials have asked the passengers to ‘cooperate’, especially during the peak hours. 

“Passengers are requested to cooperate so that Metro can run smoothly. At present, commuters are resisting vacating the coaches at Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station during peak hours, which causes a cumulative effect and adversely affects the services. We are encouraging passengers to use digital ticketing by offering a 5 per cent discount, hoping to reduce queues and manage crowds more efficiently,” the officials said on Thursday.

For the Pujas, the authorities have said that ‘night-long’ trains are being planned to manage the rise in the commuters because of the festival.