Kolkata: No more curtailed services on East-West Metro's under-river section now that crucial civil work in the Esplanade-Sealdah section is over. "After successful run of the maiden train trials through the westbound tunnel on the Sealdah-Esplanade section, Metro Railway has decided to restore normal services on both east and west-bound tunnels between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade from Thursday," a press release said on Wednesday.
Since November last year, services were reduced in the Esplanade-Howrah Maidan stretch to hasten work in the incomplete 2.6 km Esplanade-Sealdah section. As the Howrah section has no maintenance facility, trains were transported through the incomplete section to the Salt Lake depot. This meant stalling all civil work in the Esplanade-Sealdah section.
From Thursday, 130 services will run in the under-river section instead of 114. The first and last trains leave Howrah Maidan and Esplanade station at 7 am and 9.45 pm respectively. "From tomorrow, no trains will start or end at Mahakaran station," a Metro official said.