The Kolkata Metro authorities on Wednesday announced that the commuters will not be required to book e-passes for riding the metro from January 18. The decision was taken in vies of the declining COVID-19 cases in the state.
It further stated that there will be an increase in the frequency of its weekday services on the North-South Line from 228 to 240.
The Kolkata Metro had resumed operations on September 14, 2020, with strict health protocols in place in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and introduced e-passes for entry into stations.
Previously, for senior citizens, ladies and children (below 15 years), e-pass was not required throughout the day. It had been relaxed gradually with exemptions for specific age categories in pre-fixed time slots.
Kolkata Metro decided to run 204 daily services instead of 190 services from Monday to Saturday from December 7.
It also stated that the services will be available every 7 minutes during morning and evening peak hours.
Meanwhile, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal took to twitter on Saturday to congratulate Kolkata Metro for this.
“People of Kolkata can rejoice as from 7th December, metro to increase services to 204 from Monday to Saturday. Further enhancing passenger convenience, there will also be an extension of timings and easier travel with services being available every 7 minutes during peak hours,” Piyush Goyal mentioned in a tweet.
Source: dnaindia.com