Special metro services planned for Durga Puja
The Statesman | 14 September 2025Following the suspension of Kavi Subhash station on the Blue Line since 28 July, reversal of empty rakes is being carried out via the down (DN) platform to the UP line by temporarily blocking the section between Shahid Khudiram and Kavi Subhash. This process has been adding about eight minutes to the rake reversal time, causing a cascading delay and train bunching in the down direction, while increasing the gaps between up-direction services.
To ease the bottleneck, Metro Railway has designed a revised timetable. Under the new plan, after every two trains, one rake will be reversed at Maha Nayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge) station—after passengers have detrained. This measure is expected to reduce congestion and maintain a steady headway of services.
The old Tollygunge carshed will also be revived. Rakes maintained and stabled there will operate towards the UP direction to bridge service gaps created by delays in reversals at Kavi Subhash. Some trains will be short-terminated and moved to the carshed for regular maintenance to ensure safe operations.
Currently, Metro has planned the reversal of 32 out of 136 down trains to maintain a headway of five minutes during peak hours and seven minutes during lean hours. This will allow the network to operate 272 services in total—both UP and DN. Passengers will be informed of train destinations through announcements on trains and at stations to ensure smooth boarding and deboarding.
Metro Railway has thanked passengers for their understanding and cooperation, noting that no detentions have occurred due to refusal to deboard at Maha Nayak Uttam Kumar station. The arrangement will be especially crucial to handle the increased passenger load during the upcoming Durga Puja festival.
A meeting held at Metro Railway Bhavan today, attended by all station superintendents, finalised plans to operate services across the Blue, Yellow, Green and Purple lines during the festival. Detailed timetables and the number of services will be announced shortly. The Metro has already received an overwhelming response to its decision to operate Yellow Line services on the coming Saturday and Sunday.
Passengers are urged to use the Metro’s mobile app to purchase tickets in advance or to travel with Smart Cards to reduce rush at booking counters, which will be limited during the Puja.
