Kolkata has India’s first underwater metro train. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Within two months of starting operations, Kolkata Metro Railways has carried 24 lakh passengers between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade in Green Line 2, according to a press release from the Metro Railways. Green Line 2 is part of the ambitious East-West metro project that boasts of India’s first under-river metro line.
According to Metro Railway authorities, the Green Line 2 has accrued ₹3.40 crores in revenue between March 15 and May 15 this year. With a footfall of 11.67 lakh passengers, Howrah Metro station has emerged as the busiest stop in the Green Line 2 corridor over this time period.
Meanwhile, Green Line 1, which extends from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, has carried 21 lakh passengers and incurred revenue worth Rs 3.11 crores between March 15 and May 15.
The East-West metro, comprising Green Line 1 and Green Line 2, connects key business hubs and industrial areas of Howrah, central Kolkata, and Salt Lake, and includes a first-of-its-kind under-river rail connection underneath the Hooghly river.
In the same time period, the new Orange Line metro plying between Kavi Subhash station and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay station has ferried over 55,000 passengers and has earned ₹11.64 lakhs, according to the press release. Purple Line that runs along the southernmost parts of the city from Joka to Taratala has seen a footfall of 27,000 passengers over the last two months, accruing a revenue of ₹3.98 lakhs.
Passengers can avail metro rail services through smart cards, tokens, and paper-based QR tickets and can switch corridors at Esplanade and Kavi Subhash metro stations with integrated tickets.
Virtual QR code-based tickets sold on the Metro Ride Kolkata app have become increasingly popular among metro commuters in the Green Line, Metro Rail authorities have claimed. Over 13.28 lakh passengers have bought QR code-based tickets between April 1 and May 13 this year, to travel in both Green Line 1 and Green Line 2.
A United Payments Interface-based (UPI) ticketing system was also introduced at Sealdah Metro station of Green Line 1 earlier this month. According to the Kolkata Metro website, Metro authorities have earned over ₹43,000 through this ticketing system as more and more passengers are opting for UPI-based tickets.