Kolkata Metro to Suspend East-West Corridor Services Every Sunday

Kolkata: The Metro Railway, Kolkata, announced that train services on the entire East-West Metro corridor (Green Line) will remain suspended every Sunday from March 23 onwards for testing of the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system.

Metro Services Suspended

Metro authorities confirmed in a statement that no trains will run on the Howrah Maidan–Salt Lake Sector V corridor on Sundays until further notice. The decision was made to facilitate testing of the CBTC system, which is crucial for future operations.

Previous Service Suspensions for CBTC Testing

Earlier, Metro services on the East-West corridor were also suspended on March 8 and 9 for similar testing. This was the third suspension since February, following previous service halts from February 13 to 16 and February 20 to 23.

A Metro spokesperson stated, "Metro will implement a complete traffic block every Sunday from March 23 to conduct CBTC system testing along the entire East-West Metro corridor (Green Line) from Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector V." In Metro terminology, a 'traffic block' means the temporary suspension of train operations.

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CBTC Testing and Completion of Tunneling Work

The CBTC system is being tested after the completion of tunneling work between Esplanade and Sealdah stations. Authorities are preparing to start full-scale operations on the entire East-West corridor later this year.

Currently, Metro services operate in two separate sections:

• Salt Lake Sector 5 to Sealdah
• Esplanade to Howrah Maidan

Impact of Past Incidents on Metro Expansion

The 2.5-km-long Esplanade-Sealdah stretch of the 16.6-km-long East-West corridor has faced multiple delays due to cave-ins during tunneling work at Bowbazar. In September 2019, underground water seepage occurred after the boring machine struck an aquifer, causing significant disruptions. At least two more similar incidents followed in subsequent years, further delaying operations on this critical section.

With testing now in progress, authorities aim to resolve technical challenges and ensure a safe and efficient launch of the full East-West Metro corridor soon.