Kolkata Metro services to be suspended along entire East-West corridor on March 8 9

Kolkata, Mar 4 (PTI) Services along the East-West corridor of Kolkata Metro will remain fully suspended on March 8 and 9 for testing of the Communication-based Train Control (CBTC) system, an official statement said on Tuesday.
    The two-day suspension will be the third such suspension in the last one month to check the efficacy of the signalling and communication system along the Howrah Maidan-Salt Lake Sector 5 stretch.
    The previous two suspensions were from February 13 to 16, and February 20 to 23.
    "Metro is going to grant another complete traffic block on March 8 (Saturday) and March 9 (Sunday) for testing of CBTC system along the entire East-West Metro corridor (Green Line) from Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector 5," the statement issued by Kolkata Metro Rail said.
    In Metro Rail terminology, 'traffic block' means suspension of train services.
    "No service will be available during that period along the East-West corridor only. Services will be partially affected on March 7 evening and March 10 morning as well," it said.
    On March 7, the last metro will leave Sealdah for Salt Lake Sector 5 at 7.03 pm (instead of the normal 9.35 pm) while the Sealdah-bound train will leave Sector 5 at 7.05 pm (instead of 9.40 pm on other days), it said.
    From Esplanade and Howrah Maidan stations, on two ends of the Esplanade-Howrah Maidan corridor, the last trains will leave for their respective destinations at 7 pm instead of the normal timing of 9.45 pm, the statement added.
    On March 10 morning, in the Sealdah-Sector 5 corridor, the first metro train will depart Sector 5 at 8.05 am instead of the normal 7.05 am, while the first train from Sealdah will depart at 6.55 am.
    On March 10, along the Esplanade-Howrah Maidan stretch, the first trains will leave for their respective destinations at 8 am instead of the regular 7 am.
    The CBTC system is being checked after the completion of tunnelling work, between Esplanade and Sealdah stations, before the authorities mull to start operation along the entire stretch by this year.
    At present, trains run along two disjointed sections from Sector 5 to Sealdah, and Esplanade to Howrah Maidan.
    Due to the cave-in during tunnelling work at Bowbazar along the Esplanade-Sealdah stretch and seepage of underground water in September 2019 as the boring machine hit an aquifer and at least two more similar incidents in subsequent years, services could not commence along the 2.5-km-long Esplanade-Sealdah stretch of the 16.6-km-long East-West corridor.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)