AFC-PC gates installed at Mahakaran Metro Station

Kolkata: Aiming to start the commercial run between Howrah Maidan to Esplanade Metro stretch by December this year, the Metro Railway informed that electrical and beautification work is being carried out in this stretch and it is nearing completion.

In a step towards meeting the target, Automatic Fare Collection and Passenger Control (AFC-PC) gates were installed at the concourse level of Mahakaran Metro Station. This stop will have 18 AFC-PC gates, out of which 10 will be bi-directional meaning can be controlled by the staff to change the direction of passenger movement during peak hours.

Out of these ten gates, two will be earmarked for wheelchair-bound passengers. These gates will be able to handle 45 passengers per minute, according to officials. Furthermore, the passengers will not only be able to avail the services just by punching Metro tokens or Smart Cards but also by using QR code-based tokens.

Earlier the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) informed that they are targeting to apply for CRS inspection by November so that by December they can commission the mentioned line. However, services will initially start in a truncated manner and service will be available in a 12-minute interval.

They had informed that the work in Esplanade to Sealdah stretch of the corridor is going on and KMRCL expects that they will be able to connect Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector V by June next year.