Due to low passenger footfall, Metro Railway, Kolkata will be initiating a trial project to introduce counterless metro stations at Taratala and Sakherbazar on the Purple Line, and Kavi Sukanta on the Orange Line starting from August 1.
This means, from Thursday, no booking counters will be opened on these stations for issuing of tokens and smart cards. There will also be no booking staff available either.
Therefore, the passengers will use automatic smart card recharge machines (ASCRMs) to buy tokens, smart cards and QR code-based tickets.
These stations were reportedly selected because of their low passenger traffic. The Taratala station has an average daily commuter count of 70, while Kavi Sukanta has 220 and Sakherbazar 55.
The low traffic on these stations might be due to the limited service frequency. According to The Times of India, officials stated that they will review passenger input and make necessary changes later.
Last week, Kolkata Metro introduced the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) based ticketing system in all the stations on its Purple line metro. The authority wrote on their official X handle, “#UPI Payment Based Ticketing System has been introduced in all the stations of #PurpleLine from today.”
#UPI Payment Based Ticketing System has been introduced in all the stations of #PurpleLine from today. pic.twitter.com/R5lOn2qHKh— Metro Railway Kolkata (@metrorailwaykol) July 24, 2024
UPI is a digital system that combines several bank accounts into a single mobile app accessible from any participating bank. It incorporates several banking services, allowing for the easy transfer of funds and payments to merchants through a single platform.
The Kolkata PWD has also approved Rail Vikas Nigam Limited’s (RVNL) proposals for the Esplanade metro station. However, construction of the Purple Line’s terminal station cannot commence until the Ministry of Defence (MoD) gives its nod to the revised proposal.
In another news earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro’s East-West corridor which is branded as India’s first underwater metro service. The engineering marvel is part of the 16.6 km East-West Metro corridor and has been built at a cost of Rs 4,965 crore.
This is India’s first transportation project in which trains would travel under a river, Hooghly. The 4.8-kilometer route between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade connects important areas like the IT powerhouse Salt Lake Sector V.
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