Howrah-Esplanade Metro services dip from 130 to 92
Times of India | 10 September 2024
Kolkata: The services on the East-West Metro’s Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section has reduced from 130 to 92 due to rescheduling of rake maintenance. This has also led to longer interval between services on this section during the ‘non-peak hours’ from Monday.
Rakes used in the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade stretch will now be driven for maintenance to Salt Lake depot through the east-bound tunnel — from Esplanade to Sealdah— of the incomplete section of the corridor every fortnight, instead of it being a weekly affair.
These rakes are taken to the Salt Lake depot as there is no maintenance facility in the Howrah-Maidan terminal. Thus, the less frequent rake movement through this tunnel will now ensure uninterrupted work in the incomplete Bowbazar stretch of the subsidence-ridden Esplanade-Sealdah section. Previously, an entire day used to be wasted every time rakes were exchanged via the tunnel as the third rail was charged with electricity and no civil construction was allowed.
The change in schedule of the rake maintenance would speed up work in the section, said Metro Railway.
On the other hand, to ease work load on the superior-made BEML rakes, which need thorough examination and regular maintenance in modern depots, only a single rake will run on non-rush hours during weekdays and Sundays.
Two motormen will man both cabins to ensure less gaps between services.
All this time, two rakes would run from 7am to 9.45pm, driven by one motorman each. The change in rake movement has also affected frequencies and the number of services.
Implementing agency, Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC), is chasing a March 2025 deadline to complete the last leg of the Rs 10,000crore East-West Metro project. ITD ITD-Cementation, contracted to build the 2.5km Esplanade-Sealdah section of the corridor, is aiming to complete the work by April 2025. East-West Metro, which will eventually cover 16.6km from Sector V to Howrah Maidan.
The project had recently faced a construction issue at Bowbazar’s Durga Pituri Lane when 52 residents were evacuated following water seepage inside the under-construction egress shaft.
But, officials said the decision on revised maintenance schedule of rakes and operation of the Howrah section was taken prior to this incident.