Signage confusion, long queues and delays plague metro on 1st day of full run
Times of India | 26 August 2025
Kolkata: Booking counters at the busiest stations on the East-West Metro corridor struggled to cope with the commuter rush, prompting the authority to rethink and change their crowd management plans during peak hours on Monday. Metro services on the Noapara-Airport Yellow Line also witnessed several hiccups, leaving passengers struggling with unclear signage, delayed trains, and confusing announcements.
Howrah Maidan, Howrah Station, Esplanade, Sealdah, and Sector V were the stations on the 16.6 km Green Line that saw maximum crowding. Since morning, serpentine queues were seen at booking counters. At many stations, the queues spilled onto the staircases. The Metro authorities opened two or three more counters at Howrah Maidan, Howrah Station, Esplanade, and Sealdah. A special workforce from Metro Bhavan was also pressed into service.
At Howrah Station, ticket-vending machines were relocated. A Metro official stated: "There are eight such machines at Howrah Station. As the exit passage was getting obstructed, we relocated them.
" | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataThe Metro authorities decided to set up camps at these stations to help commuters use the Metro app. There were many from districts who were neither familiar with the ticket-vending machines nor knew about the app. This put more pressure on the booking counters.
Arindam Mondal, a commuter at Sealdah, said: "Everyone is not likely to be tech-savvy. So, many commuters are queueing up at the counters. I waited for 20 minutes to buy a smart card.
"There were space constraints at Esplanade on the Blue Line because of the rush in the East-West Metro corridor. Priyanka Mondal from Burdwan came to Howrah and then took the metro to reach Esplanade. "I waited for half an hour to buy a ticket," she said.
On the Yellow Line, inadequate markings created confusion among first-time users. "In other cities, Metro lines are easily identified by their colour. Here, despite being called the Yellow Line, many signs are still painted blue. That is confusing," said Asish Chowdhry, who boarded the train at the Jai Hind station after flying in from Delhi.
Train punctuality was also an issue. A train was supposed to arrive at Jessore Road Station at 12.30 pm but was about eight minutes late. Commuters on the Blue Line faced similar problems throughout the day.
Operational lapses in digital displays added more to the confusion. At Noapara, both platforms 2 and 3 were initially announced as bound for Shahid Khudiram. When the airport train pulled into platform 3, many disembarked before it was clarified. "Minor glitches are common when new services are introduced. These will be ironed out soon," said a senior official.