Written by Adrija Datta 

In a significant development for commuter convenience, Kolkata Metro Railway has announced an increase in the number of services on the Purple Line between Joka and Majerhat, beginning May 13.

According to the Metro Railway authorities, a total of 62 metro services will be operated on this stretch from Tuesday onwards. These will include 31 services on the up-line (Joka to Majerhat) and 31 on the down-line (Majerhat to Joka), running at regular intervals of 24 minutes during operational hours.

Presently, 40 services—20 in each direction—are operated from Monday to Friday.

“The initiative will be beneficial for the daily passengers and meet the demand of commuters,” said Rupayan Mitra, Public Relations Officer of Kolkata Metro.

This expansion follows a prior enhancement on May 5, when the number of commercial runs was increased to 40 and the train interval was reduced significantly from 50 minutes to 22 minutes on weekdays.

In addition to more frequent services, the service hours on the Purple Line are also being extended. From May 13, the first train from Majerhat will depart at 7.57 am instead of the previous 8.27 am, while the first train from Joka will begin at 8.00 am, advancing from the earlier 8.30 am.

The last train on both ends will now run at 8:00 pm, replacing the earlier schedule which saw services end by 3:28 pm. However, no services will be offered on Saturdays and Sundays, similar to the existing schedule.

The Purple Line, also known as the Joka-Esplanade corridor, is a rapid transit line under construction in Kolkata. The line features interchanges with the Blue Line at Park Street and the Green Line at Esplanade.

Once complete, it will stretch over 26.88 km, connecting IIM Joka to Eden Gardens. The 6.5-km stretch from Joka to Taratala was inaugurated in December 2022, and extended to Majerhat in March 2024. The project is being implemented by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).

This move is expected to provide considerable relief to daily passengers and address the growing ridership on this corridor.