Renovation of the Tollygunge yard beyond Mahanayak Uttam Kumar station in Kolkata, that finished on Sunday, is purported to guarantee better services to Metro commuters, say officials. According to Metro Railway officials, the travel time between Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash will decrease by nearly two minutes as an extant speed restriction will now be removed. The renovation will, likewise, enable a rake to be parked at the Tollygunge yard for use amid emergencies, reports TOI.

“There was a sharp curve between the Netaji and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar stations due to which trains could not move at speeds beyond 20 kmph. The line has now been straightened, and trains will be moving at 55 kmph. In this stretch, they will be saving time, and this will affect punctuality. At a later stage, we may also be able to add more services, depending on the availability of rakes,” said Metro Railway CPRO Indrani Banerjee.

Nearly seven lakh commuters utilise the Metro every day with the rakes nearly blasting at their creases in the mornings and night times.

“The Y-siding at the yard has been extended, and a new line added. The yard is now capable of handling two trains from either direction at the same time. This will allow uninterrupted services between Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Dum Dum, even if there are some technical issues in the elevated section towards Kavi Subhash. The option of parking a rake at the yard will also be of great help. In case of a disruption, a spare rake will no longer have to be brought in from Noapara or Kavi Subhash car sheds. This will save a lot of time and help us move towards uninterrupted services for passengers,” added Banerjee.

A derailing switch has additionally been included the yard that will empower better crossover of rakes at the Y-siding.

Tollygunge yard

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