Kolkata Metro: Relief for commuters as work finally begins on delayed Blue and Orange line metro projects

For thousands of Metro passengers in south Kolkata, the development comes as a major relief. Services at Kavi Subhash, the southern terminal of the busy Blue Line, have remained suspended since July last year after cracks were detected in pillars supporting the platform.

The station’s Dakshineswar-bound platform is now being demolished and rebuilt. On Sunday, workers wearing helmets and safety gear could be seen carrying out dismantling work inside the station premises.

Since the closure of Kavi Subhash station, Shahid Khudiram station has been operating as the temporary terminal for the Blue Line. However, the arrangement created operational difficulties because the station did not have a rake-reversal point needed for trains to switch tracks.

To speed up the repair work, Metro authorities suspended services between Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Shahid Khudiram stations on Sunday so work on the new crossover system could begin.

New track system to reduce delays

Officials said the new rake-reversal arrangement will help trains switch tracks directly at Shahid Khudiram station without travelling empty to Kavi Subhash. This will allow uninterrupted repair and reconstruction work at the damaged station.

“Work to set up the reversal point began after commercial operations ended on Saturday night. The work involves placing tracks linking the two existing lines (Dakshineshwar-bound and New Garia-bound). A train, after reaching Khudiram, will switch to the tracks meant for Dakshineswar-bound trains through the new crossover passage,” said a Metro engineer, according to Telegraph India.

“Once the crossover passage is placed on the overhead tracks, it has to be synchronised with the signalling system. A new signalling point has been set up at the spot. After the synchronisation, we will have to conduct several trial runs to see if the new arrangement works. All this will be completed before Monday morning, when commercial services on the entire corridor resume,” he said, according to Telegraph India.

Kavi Subhash station serves as an important interchange point between the Blue Line and the Orange Line connecting New Garia to the airport. It is also linked to the suburban railway station at New Garia, making it a major transit hub for commuters travelling from different parts of the city and suburbs.

Metro officials said the demolition work is expected to take around four to six weeks, while rebuilding the platform may take another six to seven months.

Chingrighata Metro gap finally being bridged

In another significant development, work also began at Chingrighata to bridge the missing section of the Orange Line Metro corridor. The project had remained stuck for more than 15 months and was delaying Metro connectivity towards Sector V.

The work started after a traffic block was imposed on EM Bypass from Friday evening till Monday morning.

“Concrete decks were launched between two piers (317 and 318) on the Ultadanga-bound flank of EM Bypass. Around 10 such decks, which comprise one span, were lifted. For much of Sunday, they were being aligned along the overhead viaduct,” said an official of RVNL, the executing agency of the New Garia-airport Metro link or Orange Line, according to Telegraph India.

At present, the Orange Line is operational only between New Garia and Beleghata. The Chingrighata gap needs to be completed before the corridor can extend towards Sector V.

Officials said around 28 metres of the missing stretch is being covered during the current traffic block. Another 34 metres will be completed during the next round of traffic restrictions scheduled over the coming weekend.

The remaining work will be carried out in phases without requiring long traffic closures, officials added.

For many Kolkata commuters dealing with crowded roads and long travel times every day, the progress on both Metro projects offers hope that smoother connectivity may finally be on the horizon.