Direct metro link helps Sector V employeesskirt break-journey pain
Times of India | 26 August 2025
Kolkata: For thousands working in the city's IT hub in Salt Lake Sector V, daily commute took a decisive turn on Monday with the start of East-West Metro's first full weekday run between Sector V and Howrah Maidan. The 16.6km uninterrupted corridor, linking Salt Lake, Sealdah, Esplanade and Howrah, replaced multiple changeovers and painful surface transport with a single metro ride.
Employees who once relied on combinations of buses, autos, and cabs to reach the office were elated with the dip in both travel time and cost. From Liluah in the west to Kalighat in the south and MG Road in the north, commuters said the direct line changed their commute routine, making life much easier.
Deepak Kumar Rai, 28, who works in Sector V and lives in Liluah, said: "Earlier, I changed at Esplanade, took a bus to Sealdah, and then another metro. Now I reach in 32 minutes for Rs 30.
" On Monday morning, Rai took new metro services to travel to the airport line to pick up his girlfriend, drop her at her home in Bansdroni using the Blue Line metro, and then returning to Esplanade and heading to Sector V using the Green Line. | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataPriyadarshini Chattoraj, 26, a Kalighat resident whose office is in Godrej Waterside, said the new line meant direct saving. "Half my salary was being spent on cabs as I avoided buses. I even tried pool buses. Now I take the metro to Esplanade, switch to the Green Line, and reach office without hassle," she said.
For some, the relief was avoiding auto queues. "From MG Road, I used to take three autos via Ultadanga and Karunamoyee. Most of my time was spent waiting in the queue. Today, I reached in half an hour by metro," said Utpalendu Basu, 30, who works at a computer hardware firm.
The rush, however, caught many by surprise. The Sector V station, which averaged 12,000 passengers daily until last week, saw the figure rise more than threefold. By afternoon, footfall was expected to cross 40,000. Commuters reported packed trains even from the starting point, with many leaving the office early to beat the crowd.
The upgrade, however, has also drawn complaints. "We have never seen such crowds before. What used to be a comfortable train ride to Sealdah has become troublesome," said Basabi Das, a College Street resident employed in Sector V. Another commuter, Prasenjit Bag, added: "While everyone was waiting for this line, we are unhappy with the crowding.