Desperate, spirited commuters cheer start of yellow, orange line services
The Statesman | 26 August 2025
Commercial services in the Yellow and Orange Lines of the Kolkata Metro kicked off today with a lot of enthusiasm among the commuters. The two stretches were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 August.
Commuters queued up in front of ticket counters at both ends of the newly-opened Yellow Line to be able to board the first Metro, this morning. While the larger count was that of the workers, students and office goers, many of them had also turned up to enjoy a joy ride and have an experience. As the train arrived at the platform, an enthusiastic and gay crowd stood waiting to board it. A few seconds later, the crowd of commuters was busy capturing the moment that they said was cherishable.
According to several commuters, the smooth and fast journey to the airport is one of the most crucial aspects of the latest inauguration. “Till now, the opening of various stretches did not attract me much because it did not bring much relief to my daily commute,” said an employee of the hospitality sector living in the fringes of Howrah and working near the city airport. “From the place I live in till my office, the journey would take around one-and-a half hours or even two hours. The commute was arduous and a lot of time would be wasted in frequent traffic snarls. But now, the time would be cut down by half and the journey would be more comfortable and smoother. This is a huge relief for me,” he added.
Ritika Singh, who often has to fly to various cities for work said that the metro till the airport was a money saver for her. “Availing a cab till the airport was too costly as the drivers would charge unreasonably. There have been days when both journeys had cost me Rs 1,400 in an online app cab. In that situation a commute so economic is actually a relief,” she added.
A similar buzz was seen at Beleghata and Hemanta Mukhapadhyay Metro stations. The 4.39-km stretch was flagged off by Mr Modi last week, also had its first commercial service from today. The section is to have 60 revenue services from Monday to Friday. The services are to be operated at 25 minutes intervals starting at 8 a.m. from Beleghata and the other end. The last service would be run at 8.05p.m. from both ends while no services would be run on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Yellow Line opened between Jai Hind Biman Bandar and Noapara is also to have commercial services starting around the same time. The first service from Noapara and Jai Hind Biman Bandar Metro stations is to be run at 7.58 a.m. The last Metro from both stations is to start at 8 p.m. The stretch, according to the city Metro office, is to have 120 services from Monday to Friday running at intervals of 10-15 minutes. Like the Orange Line, the Yellow Line also will not have any commercial services on Saturdays and Sundays.
The third recently-opened stretch of the Green Line between Sealdah and Esplanade also had its first Monday of commercial services. With some relief from the incessant rain that had been pounding the cities of south Bengal for the last few days, the Green Line had its litmus test today. The stretch connecting Howrah Maidan to Sector V witnessed a huge crowd of commuters today. According to several commuters, the connectivity till Howrah and Sealdah stations was a game-changer for the commuters of the suburbs.