New Garia Metro station closed after cracks found in pillars
Times of India | 29 July 2025
Kolkata: The North-South Metro's terminal Kavi Subhas station at New Garia was closed temporarily after cracks were discovered in the last four pillars on which the Up platform stands. All trains are now being terminated at Shahid Khudiram, the elevated metro station at Dhalai Bridge in Garia. It is the second last metro station on the city's southern fringes.
Metro Railway workers spotted the cracks in the pillars on Monday morning and alerted their supervisors, following which inspections were conducted. "Around 12.45 pm, the metro station's services were suspended. Preliminary investigations suggest ground subsidence due to the heavy downpour over the past few days. The uneven ground settlement seemed to have caused cracks on the four piers on the Up platform at Kavi Subhas station. As a measure of precaution and to ensure the safety of passengers, services to and from Kavi Subhas station have been withdrawn. We are trying to resume operations from the terminal station as soon as possible," a metro spokesperson said, adding, "Train services on the Blue Line will operate between Shahid Khudiram and Dakshineswar in both Up and Down directions till further notice. The damage is being assessed. Necessary repair and rehabilitation work will be taken up in a planned manner immediately.
"Empty rakes will continue to run up to Kavi Subhas station for reversal and maintenance at the depot with the terminal complex. Kavi Subhas is also the terminal station for the Orange Line or the New Garia-Airport corridor. The pillars on which the elevated Orange Line station stands are relatively new. Trains operated normally on this line.
Passengers like Moumita Sarkar, who lives in New Garia, were taken aback on Monday afternoon when she tried taking the afternoon metro from Kavi Subhas to her workplace in Esplanade.
Services were erratic on the North-South line throughout the day. "I sensed something amiss as the digital signboards for the next train's timing went blank and trains arrived late," said Dipti Raut, a passenger at Park Street station.
Officials confirmed this was the first time since the North-South Line's southern extension (in two phases in 2009-10) to New Garia from Tollygunge that a metro station was closed. "The design of the elevated section from Tollygunge to Kavi Subhas is flawed. The pier strengthening work was supposed to start long ago. But Metro Railway authorities have sat on inviting bids and initiating the repair work," said Subhasis Sengupta, vice-president, INTTUC-affiliated Metro Railway Progotisil Shramik Karmachari Union.