Total 178 Escalators installed in Kolkata Metro, highest among all zones of Indian Railways

NEWS WAVE INDIA: Metro Railway leaves no stone unturned to improve passenger amenities and ensure safe and comfortable journey for commuters. This initiative has got momentum in recent years.

In this context, it is worth mentioning here that installation of more number of escalators and lifts at different Metro stations are the testimony of this initiative. Under the able guidance of the General Manager Shri P Uday Kumar Reddy this addition in the numbers of lifts and escalators are taking place rapidly and city Metro now has the highest number of escalators among all Zonal Railways.

At present, total 178 escalators have been commissioned at different Metro stations of North-South Corridor (Blue Line), East-West Corridor (Green Line) and Joka-Taratala stretch of Purple Line. This is the highest number of escalators provided for passenger service in any zone of Indian Railways. In this case, Western Railway has occupied the second position by providing 169 escalators in its different stations and Central Railway is in the third position with 168 escalators.

Another 13 escalators are in the final stage of commissioning in Kolkata Metro and will shortly be put into service. Thus Kolkata Metro’s number of commissioned escalators will soon shoot up to 191. Metro authorities are also taking care of proper maintenance of this huge fleet of escalators. Proper maintenance programme has been planned and staff are kept in readiness for immediate repairing work in case of any failure.

These state-of-the-art heavy duty escalators available at most of the Metro stations are complied with all safety features of International Standards (EN-115). These modern escalators procured from world class manufacturers are fitted with auxillary brake enabling them to stop automatically if there is any chance of rollback or free fall. Maximum two passengers can stand on each step of these heavy duty escalators while these are on the move. Moreover these escalators stop or move slowly during idle time. Aged persons and children will find it convenient to ride on these heavy-duty escalators, as more flat steps have been added to top and bottom.

In this regard, it needs to mention that in the all upcoming Metro Projects every Metro stations will be equipped with such escalators for the convenience of the passengers. Keeping in mind the projected footfalls in the coming days, a comprehensive plan has been chalked out to install more escalators in all the Corridors of Kolkata Metro. It is expected that by 2026 Kolkata Metro will have 495 escalators operational at its different stations. Like 2023, in 2026 also Kolkata Metro will have maximum number of escalators commissioned for passenger service among all the zones of Indian Railways. All these sleek and modern escalators will further enhance passenger amenities as well as looks of Kolkata Metro. Commuters will continue to find it very convenient, just like now, to enter/exit platforms/station areas with the help of these escalators.