9 pc jump in smart card users on Metro trains

Representation image [File photo]


The Kolkata Metro Railway while carrying over 40 lakh commuters has registered a nine per cent increase in the issuance of smart cards during the peak days of Durga Puja in the Blue Line. The city Metro carried an increased passenger count recording a huge number of 41.65 lakh commuters between Panchami and Dashami.

During the period, the North-South Metro registered a passenger count of 39,46,945 while the East-West Metro recorded 2,16,581 commuters against last year’s figures of 1,79,428 on the six days. On Chaturthi, when the passenger count in NorthSouth Metro neared 7.5 lakh with 7,49,160 commuters availing the services, the city Metro issued 3,555 smart cards in the Blue Line.

The next day, when the footfall went close to the eight lakh mark and the North-South Metro carried 7,92,060 passengers, a total of 4307 smart cards were issued in the Blue Line. For the next two days also, the number of smart cards issued in the Blue Line remained above four thousand. According to the city Metro office, this year, a total of 20,501 new smart cards were issued in the Blue Line during the seven days of the festival.

The number was about 1793 or 9 per cent more than the previous year’s Durga Puja figures, according to the chief public relations officer of Kolkata Metro Railway, Kausik Mitra.