The deployment of personnel, installation of signage and token-vending machines and finalising the time table are among the work left before commercial services begin on the three Metro links inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
“The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section should be ready for commercial run within a week to 10 days,” V.K. Srivastava, general manager of the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, the implementing agency of the 16.6km East-West Metro (Green Line), said after the inauguration on Wednesday.
The agency is building the corridor but train operations are being handled by Metro Railway.
“From a technical point of view, it is fully functional. That is why the commissioner of railway safety has given us the go-ahead to run trains. So, we have fulfilled all conditions. Only small nitty-gritty are there,” said Srivastava, also the principal chief engineer of Metro Railway.
Srivastava said similar work was pending in the New Garia-Ruby (part of the Orange Line between New Garia and the airport) and Taratala-Majerhat (part of the Purple Line that will connect Joka and Esplanade) sections.
“These things will take maybe three to four days. So, once they are done, we will be ready for commercial run. That should be within a week to 10 days. That is decided in consultation with Metro Railway, which will be in charge of operations,” he said.
Personnel
Metro officials said a significant part of the pending work involved the deployment of personnel.
“We have to decide who will be posted at the manual booking windows. There are pending issues around the deployment of security personnel (RPF jawans),” said one of them.
There are four stations in the just-inaugurated link of East-West Metro — Howrah Maidan, Howrah, Mahakaran and Esplanade.
Metro sources said the deployment will depend on the size and capacity of the stations. Spread over 54,000sqm, Howrah station is the biggest, followed by Esplanade (30,000sqm), Mahakaran (26,000sqm) and Howrah Maidan (18,000sqm).
“People will be needed for operations, station control, lifts and escalators and other amenities. Personnel will be deployed at the surface, mezzanine, concourse and platform levels and at ticket counters, token vending machines and other places. The number of people to be deployed at each station is being worked out. But at least 50 people will be needed at every station,” said a Metro official.
The Esplanade station, for example, has 20 escalators and eight lifts.
“Manpower will be deployed by the traffic department of Metro Railway. The staff to be posted at the stations will need some time to get familiarised with the stations,” said another official.
Signage
Work is underway to install sufficient signage at Esplanade station, said Metro officials.
“Existing signage points passengers to platforms, entry and exit. But they have to be more specific,” said an official.
For example, Esplanade will be an interface between the east-west line and the north-south line. A walkway connects the Esplanade station of the north-south line with the Esplanade station of the east-west line.
There has to be sufficient signage for passengers headed from one corridor to another, said the official.
“In Mahakaran, if a passenger gets off a train from Howrah and wants to go to the GPO, she should have no problem in going to the gate that leads to her destination. Only a board pointing to Gate A or B will not be enough,” the official said.
Machines
The frequency at which trains will run is being finalised, said an official.
KMRC boss Srivastava said the frequency between two trains will be 12 minutes or less between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade.
In the existing operational link in East-West Metro, between Sealdah and Sector V, trains run in 12, 15 and 20-minute intervals.
The electronic display boards that inform passengers about the next train will be integrated with the time-table that is finalised.
“The fare structure has been decided but it has to be displayed. Minor work is left in finalising the time-table. That is being done by our operating department,” said an official.
Multiple display boards displaying the fare charts will be put up, at the ticket counters and other places.
Besides the display boards, machines that recharge smart cards and token-vending units will also be set up at the stations, said officials.