Record rainfall paralyses city’s transport system
The Statesman | 24 September 2025From the city’s lifeline of north-south Metro corridor to suburban services in Sealdah and Howrah, the morning brought extreme difficulties for the office goers and other workers as these services were crippled due to the relentless overnight rainfall. Buses that were fewer in numbers struggled to sail through the flooded streets and wheels were submerged. Taxis and online app cabs could hardly be spotted while several bike taxis dropped their commuters before the destination fearing that inundation could affect the engines.
Waterlogging occured at Howrah station yard, Sealdah South station yard, Chitpur North Cabin, different car sheds and at different places of Sealdah yard. Railway lines of Howrah and Sealdah Divisions were also inundated due to the torrential rains. Reaching the office or workplace became a struggle for the citizens particularly from the suburbs as train movement had to be suspended in the Sealdah South section due to waterlogging. Even the Circular Railway services were suspended because of the waterlogging on railway tracks and Chitpur yard. In the South Eastern Railway, 17 local EMU trains, including those in the Up and Down directions were cancelled. The Sealdah Division’s North and Main sections that carry lakhs of commuters, skeleton services started from platform number seven.
In the Sealdah South section, except one or two trains all south bound trains were short terminating/ short originating at Ballygunge as the Sealdah South platform was under water. As learnt, services in this section were resumed at around 7 p.m. The day brought equal travelling woes for passengers of long distance trains. In the Eastern Railway, more than 20 long distance trains had to be regulated while six were cancelled.
To add to the commuters’ woes, services in Kolkata Metro Railway, which is considered one of the choicest modes of transport, were also affected by the heavy down that pounded the city overnight. Due to the incessant rain, waterlogging occurred in the mid-section between Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Rabindra Sarobar Metro stations. Following the inundation, services were suspended between Shahid Khudiram and Maidan Metro stations while truncated services were operated between Dakshineswar and Maidan Metro stations. The Metro railway staff rushed to the spot and pumped out the water. According to the city Metro office, normal services were resumed at 5.38 p.m.
