Kolkata Metro halts Sunday services on East-West Corridor for system testing

Metro Railway, Kolkata, announced on Wednesday that services on the entire East-West Metro corridor (Green Line) will be suspended every Sunday starting March 23 to enable testing of the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system. According to a statement from Metro authorities, no trains will operate on the Howrah Maidan-Salt Lake Sector V corridor on Sundays until further notice.

Previously, Metro services on the East-West corridor were halted on March 8 and 9 for CBTC system testing. This two-day suspension marked the third since February, aimed at evaluating the efficiency of the signalling and communication system on the Howrah Maidan-Salt Lake Sector V route. Earlier suspensions occurred from February 13 to 16 and February 20 to 23.

"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," a spokesperson said.


In Metro Rail terminology, a 'traffic block' refers to the suspension of train services. The CBTC system is currently being tested following the completion of tunneling work between Esplanade and Sealdah stations, as authorities plan to begin operations along the entire stretch later this year.

Currently, trains operate on two separate sections: Sector 5 to Sealdah and Esplanade to Howrah Maidan. Services have not started on the 2.5-km Esplanade-Sealdah stretch of the 16.6-km East-West corridor due to setbacks, including a cave-in at Bowbazar during tunneling in September 2019, caused by the boring machine hitting an aquifer, which led to underground water seepage. Similar incidents occurred in subsequent years, further delaying progress.

[With PTI inputs]