21 August, Thursday: The city's daily commute is about to undergo a major makeover. Three new metro lines are to be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, just before Durga Puja, in a move certain to streamline festive travel. The new corridors will sharply reduce travel times and offer cheap alternatives in a city long suffering from jams.
What are the new fares?
The fares start from Rs 5 to Rs 70, following a distance slab system. Like the East-West Metro (Green Line) running from Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector V, the minimum distance costs Rs 5, and the maximum stretch costs Rs 70.
Three corridors redefining the city's commute
The first of the new lines is the Green Line (Esplanade–Sealdah section), now completes the East-West corridor, featuring India's first underwater metro tunnel. The travel from Howrah to Sealdah will be a mere 12 minutes, as opposed to more than an hour on road. Travel from Howrah to Sector V, which previously could cost almost Rs 500 by cab, will now cost a mere Rs 70.
The Yellow Line (Noapara–Jai Hind Bimanbandar) offers the city's first metro connection to the airport, with ticket prices between Rs 5 (Airport to Jessore Road) and Rs 50 (Airport to Howrah). The Orange Line (Hemanta Mukhopadhyay–Beleghata) connects Ruby Crossing to major places like Science City and local hospitals, with an airport-to-Ruby fare of Rs 65.
The Indian Express pointed out that Kolkata constructed only 28 km of metro track over the last three decades since 1984. By comparison, over 45 km have been developed in the last decade which is a 161% rise.
These additions mean that millions of commuters will gain from faster, cheaper, and cleaner trips, redesigning the way the city is moving at the very time of its largest festival.
