Commuters crowd the entrance of Sealdah station as daily footfall surges following the launch of Kolkata’s East-West Metro Green Line, prompting the railway division to add new trains and services. File
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri
Kolkata
The Sealdah Railway Division is set to introduce new trains and additional rakes to manage the surge in passenger numbers following the opening of the East-West Kolkata Metro. Sealdah, one of the city’s busiest suburban stations, has reported an increase of about 50,000 passengers a day.
“The daily footfall in the Sealdah Division [which includes multiple stations] is above 15 lakh. Sealdah and Dum Dum Railway stations individually have seen a 50,000 daily footfall increase in each station,” Rajeev Saxena, Divisional Railway Manager, Sealdah, said on Monday (September 1). He added that services on other routes would have to be realigned and optimised to address the pressure on these stations.
The surge has followed the inauguration of the East-West Metro’s Green Line by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 22. The corridor runs through Howrah, Kolkata, and Bidhannagar, linking major economic hubs as well as two of the city’s principal railway stations – Howrah and Sealdah. Officials said the connectivity had reshaped commuter travel patterns in the city and its adjoining areas.
“As a part of that endeavour, Sealdah Division has decided to introduce two more AC EMUs… [and] is gearing up to introduce more EMU services from Bidhannagar in evening peak hours to manage passenger rush,” an official release from the division said.
Notably, on the first working day after its inauguration, the Green Line recorded a ridership of nearly 83,000. On weekdays, the average has been close to 1.8 lakh passengers, touching 1.94 lakh on August 29. Officials noted that this has had a direct impact on local train services, particularly at Sealdah and Howrah.
Published – September 02, 2025 11:37 am IST
