West Bengal: After counting losses, Metro brings forward last services to 10.40 pm

KOLKATA: Metro Railway will bring forward the last, 11pm services on the North-South line by 20 minutes from Monday. The late-night services will start from New Garia and Dum Dum stations at 10.40pm.
Instead of 80 minutes, the gap between the last and the second last services will now be one hour.

No ticket counter will be open. “People availing of the late-night services will have to buy their tokens from the automatic smartcard recharge machines by using UPI mode of payment only.Those with smartcards can swipe in,” Metro Railway CPRO Kausik Mitra said on Wednesday.
Following a High Court order, asking Metro Railway to consider extending its operations from 9.40pm by another 45 minutes, the carrier on May 24 introduced a special service between New Garia and Dum Dum from Monday to Friday. Two extra services have since been available in addition to the 288 North-South runs between 6.50am and 9.40pm. Metro said the late-night special services were being provided on an experimental basis and not applicable to three North-South stations of Noapara, Baranagar and Dakshineswar, or any of the other three corridors.
Metro on Tuesday issued a statement, saying very few were taking the 11pm services and that it was incurring expenses of around Rs 2.7 lakh as running cost and Rs 50,000 for related expenditure. The statement said 300-odd people travelled by each of the 11pm trains every day and the earnings came to Rs 6,000 a day.
Ajay Mittal, a commuter who started a mass online petition, seeking extension of Metro services, was disappointed with the decision. “There is one hour gap between the last service and the special night service. Between 9.40pm and 10.40pm, why can’t we have two services at a gap of 20 minutes?” he said. “Also, many don’t know how to use vending machines. Keeping a ticket counter open would help. Also, Metro should publicize the latest change.” Mittal is still running the campaign for extended Metro timings and recently posted the matter on the PMO’s website with some suggestions. The PMO forwarded his suggestions to Metro Railway.