Kolkata Metro has emerged as the most preferred and reliable mode of transport during the Durga Puja festivities. This has been made possible as passengers increasingly opt for the Metro system, prioritizing it over alternative transportation methods such as bus, taxis etc. to reach their destinations in Puja days safely and quickly.
In addition to the usual daily commuters, shoppers, travellers, and pandal hoppers have all found it to be a convenient choice to take the Metro to get a glimpse of the festival.
Passenger count in Kolkata Metro during Puja days
The daily passenger count of Metro has been steadily rising since the Sharadotsav. As a result, Metro sees crowded platforms and packed trains. The passenger count in the country’s first metro network crossed the 8 lakh mark on Friday. This has been reflected on the Blue Line after a gap of 1474 days.
On October 20 (Maha Sasthi), North-South Metro carried 8,00,033 passengers. The maximum passenger count has been recorded at Dumdum (83498), followed by Kalighat (66181), Sovabazar-Sutanuti (49872) and Esplanade (46255).
On October 19 (Maha Panchami), a total of 7,92,060 passengers boarded the metro on the North-South corridor. Of these, 80362 footfalls were recorded at Dumdum, followed by Esplanade with 63189 passengers, Kalighat with 63047 passengers and Shovabazar-Sutanuti recorded 50301 passenger count.
On October 18 (Chaturthi), the North-South Metro carried 7,49,160 passengers. Of these, 76587 were recorded at Dumdum. Esplanade recorded 53,020 passenger count, Kalighat recorded 52,120 followed by Rabindra Sadan with 45,103 passenger count.
On October 17 (Tritiya), the Metro passenger count crossed the 7 lakhs mark after a year. Of these, 75,340 were recorded at Dumdum. Esplanade recorded 54,821 passenger count, Rabindra Sadan recorded 44,545, followed by Kalighat with 43,871 passenger count.
Kolkata Metro arrangements for Durga Puja
The Metro Railway has made necessary arrangements to run night-long services in the North-South Corridor to facilitate passengers during the Puja days. It has cancelled the leave of all Metro officers and staff in order to cater to the increasing rush. All ticket counters have been opened at the stations so that passengers won’t have to wait long in queues to purchase Smart Cards and tokens.