Mahalaya Bonanza For Kolkata!
By Arnab Ghosh, Gaea News NetworkWednesday, October 6, 2010
KOLKATA, INDIA (GaeaTimes.com)- There is good news for the residents of Kolkata who use the underground metro rail for commuting within the city! This Mahalaya the Kolkata Metro rail starts AC ride for the commuters. After long wait the AC coaches have arrived and the results of the trial run are also satisfying say the authorities. Mamata Banerjee the Union railway minister will flag off the AC rakes that have been acquired from Tamil Nadu. The remaining 3 km stretch of the Metro to New Garia station will also be thrown open to the commuters on the day. The Railways sources said that the New Garia station will be christened after noted poet Subhas Mukhopadhyay. The stretch to Garia Bazar from Tollygunge was inaugurated last year and since then the commuter load has increased significantly.
The Metro officials are of the opinion that the Mahalaya would be ideal for opening the service. With the new stretch operational the commuters will be able to reach to the southern fringes of the city from North within a hour. The frequency of the Metro however is not going to increase with the addition of the couple of AC rakes. For improving the frequency the existing signaling system will need an overhaul say the Metro authorities.
The trial runs on the AC rakes are now over and the initial glitches have been taken care of. The Kolkata residents are going to get the much awaited gift on Mahalaya but before more new rakes arrive the relief will not be fully accessible for the commuters. By December 2 more AC coaches will arrive in the city.
