In response to several recent suicide attempts on the city’s lifeline transport, the Kolkata Metro Railway has begun installing guardrails on the down platform of Kalighat Metro Station. The authorities aim to complete the installation of these guardrails by Kali Puja. Kolkata’s Blue Line Metro, India’s oldest metro corridor, celebrated its 40th anniversary on 24 October.
From its early days with token systems and manual operations to its current state-of-the-art technology, including air-conditioned rakes, digital payments, and even India’s first underwater metro, the Blue Line has undergone significant evolution. Despite advancements like Automatic Train Protection (ATP), Automatic Train Operation (ATO), and Automatic Train Supervision (ATS), incidents of suicide attempts continue to disrupt services on the north-south corridor. The Kolkata Metro office has reported a recent surge in such incidents, with passengers jumping in front of approaching trains. While newer metro corridors have preventive mechanisms in place, the older infrastructure of the North-South corridor limits the implementation of such measures.
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To address this issue, the Metro authorities have decided to experiment with guardrail installations on platforms. Kalighat Metro Station is the first station where these guardrails, standing four feet tall, are being installed. The design ensures minimal inconvenience to passengers boarding and alighting trains. So far, seven guardrails have been installed on the down platform, with the remaining 24 expected to be completed by Kali Puja. Kolkata Metro plans to evaluate the effectiveness of these guardrails and passenger feedback before considering their installation at other Blue Line stations.
