KOLKATA: The Sealdah Metro station inauguration, the authorities expect, will sharply push up commuter traffic on East-West.
At present, the operational 7km Sector V-Phoolbagan section barely registers 2,500 commuters a day. But once the 2.3-km Sealdah extension is opened, the commuter count is expected to go up to at least 5,000 a day. Subsequently, the Sector V-Sealdah section should clock 30,000 to 35,000 commuters, Metro Railway’s deputy general manager (DGM) Protyush Ghosh said on Tuesday. “In post-pandemic times, we expect 30,000 to 35,000 footfalls in the operational part of East-West Metro, once Sealdah is added,” he said.
Ghosh’s estimation is based on the premise that scores of IT workers, who are currently working from their homes in the districts, will be called back to their offices in Sector V and New Town. Those living on the Sealdah division is expected to alight from the suburban trains at Sealdah station and take the Metro to Sector V. “The Metro station, coming up 17m below the Eastern Railway (ER) station, promises to increase Line 2’s meagre daily footfall to at least 5,000 immediately and 30,000 after the pandemic ends and the entire Howrah Maidan-Sector V corridor is operational,” a senior KMRC official said. Sealdah is the only among seven stations to boast of a double-discharge platform. During busy hours, 17,000 people may enter and 22,000 leave at a time, 40,000 commuters can walk in and out of the station during peak hours and the premises can accommodate 5.5 lakh-6 lakh commuters daily.
Two platforms, 1A and 1B, on the east-bound track of Sealdah Metro station have been readied for commercial use. One will be used for alighting and the other for boarding. While 48 trains operated between 8am and 7.45pm now, more services were expected to be added and hours extended in phases once the demand increased, the Metro DGM said.
The ER convened a meeting with all stakeholders on Tuesday to take stock of preparedness for the imminent launch on Sealdah Metro station. TOI on Tuesday reported Metro Railway and KMRC had received verbal instructions from Railway Board to prepare for the opening of the East West Metro line to Sealdah from May 31. Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw could be in town that day and Prime Minister Narendra Modi might remotely flag off the Metro line.
With the Sealdah launch, Metro hopes to reduce the operational losses it has been incurring since East-West Metro phased operations began in February 2020. “The Sealdah extension is crucial as it will be the city’s gateway for suburban passengers,” the KMRC official said.
