Kolkata Metro completes 25 years - unheralded

By Aparajita Gupta, Kolkata, Nov 17 : Amid the euphoria over the fast expanding Delhi Metro, the country's first underground metro railway service here has completed 25 years, virtually unnoticed and unsung.

Punctual to the minute and fast, the Kolkata Metro Railway has been winning plaudits from commuters for its smooth rides and cleanliness in a city otherwise known for its traffic snarls, potholed streets and squalor.

The Metro, which started its journey on Oct 24, 1984, carries half a million passengers daily and safely from the city's southern outskirts Garia Bazar to the northern tip Dum Dum.

"It has never reported any derailment, fatality or structural collapse," M. Seshagiri Rao, retired managing director and chairman of Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), told IANS.

Constructed entirely by Indian Railway engineers, without help from a single foreign consultant or foreign contractor, the major stretch of the Metro lies below sea level.

"Here there are no unsightly viaducts casting ugly shadows over historic boulevards," said Rao, drawing a contrast to the Delhi Metro, which is mostly elevated. "Visitors travelling by car here are not even aware that there are trains running below them under busy hubs of Chowringhee, Chittaranjan Avenue or Shyambazar."

It is also an eco-friendly transport system that does not emit any harmful gas, as it runs on electricity. Closed circuit cameras installed at all stations are monitored from the control room in the nodal office to ensure security.

Beginning with five stations spread over 3.4 km, the Metro now connects 21 stations, traversing 22.28 km. There is a plan to add another station this year (2009-10), taking the total distance covered to 23.56 km.

"The main mantra for its success is its cheap, affordable fare (Rs.4 to Rs.12 per ride). Every day, about 500,000 passengers patronise it. The kind of service we provide is reflected in the ever-rising number of commuters," Kolkata Metro Railway general manager V.N. Tripathi told IANS.

School teacher Ruma Dey said she takes the Metro daily for its punctuality. "If I miss my scheduled train in the morning I am sure I can board another one after just six minutes. I don't think any other public transport can give this assurance."

Tripathi said: "To maintain this high level of punctuality everybody has to contribute because frequency of trains is so high during the day that there is hardly any maintenance time."

He gave credit for the stations' cleanliness to the passengers. "Credit should go to the users as well as railway staff who are maintaining rakes and stations. No edibles are taken. The sense of belonging of city dwellers helps to keep it clean."

Former Olympian footballer P.K. Banerjee, who was showcased in the classic national integration video "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" as alighting from the Metro, told IANS: "I am amazed at the cleanliness of the Metro stations. I have very high regard for the Kolkata Metro."

The turnover of the Metro Railway last year (2008-09) was Rs.750 million and this year (2009-10) it is expected to be around Rs.850 million with the addition of five more stations, Tripathi said.

On any working day 213 trains ply from 7 a.m. to 9.45 p.m. and on Sundays 65 trains run from 2 p.m. to 9.45 p.m.

However, all the 18 existing rakes - none of them air-conditioned - are at least 15 years old.

The Metro head said rakes are withdrawn if there is the slightest of problems, adding that in two years, all the rakes would be air-conditioned.

Thirteen air-conditioned rakes are being manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory, Perambur. "Of them, two prototypes we are expecting to be delivered by the last quarter (January-March) of this financial year (2009-10)," Tripathi said.

"Apart from these 13, we will have another 14 state-of-the-art rakes."

Each rake will cost Rs.300 million.

Tripathi said once the new rakes were made available, 11 of the existing rakes would be discarded, and the remaining seven upgraded with air-conditioning facilities.

There are also plans to add smoke extractors in all the 15 underground stations and install a new ticketing system.

Asked about the repeated suicide incidents in the Metro stations, Tripathi said: "These are unfortunate incidents...social conditions need to be created so that people are not tempted to commit suicide and the responsibility lies probably with the whole society."

Eminent economist Abhirup Sarkar said: "Every day, I travel seven-eight stations by Metro. It has made life so much easier for the city dwellers. I have been using this service for the last 10-15 years. It is the life line of the city connecting the extreme south to the north.

"As far as the crowding in the coaches is concerned, I have travelled in London tubes also. Those are also very crowded. Metro offers subsidised tickets and we should ensure that its utilisation increases."

Madan Mitra, head of the Metro's 3,250-strong employees' union, told IANS: "Workers are happy. Commuters over here are also very sensitive towards it as they know the importance of the Metro."