Metro ops from Sealdah Station: Auto drivers fret over dip in footfall by 30%
KOLKATA: Auto drivers on the route from Sealdah to Beliaghata worry about a significant drop in the number of passengers after the metro starts operating commercially from July 14.
From Sealdah Station, share auto is plyed to five places— Beliaghata, Dhapa, Baishali, Bamunghata and Tangra. The auto stand is located opposite to the south side metro gate. According to the auto drivers, the major impact will be felt on the Beliaghata route as it was mostly taken by the office goers.
They believe a decrease in the number of commuters travelling from Sealdah to areas like Building More, Karunamoyee and Salt Lake SectorV, who used to take auto till Chingrighata. Since there is no immediate metro station near Beliaghata, the local passengers will still be taking the auto.
The nearest metro stations are Phoolbagan, Karunamoyee and Salt Lake Sector-V. Approximately 10,000-12,000 passengers come on a daily basis. The footfall usually lessens on Sundays. “There will be a drop of at least 30 per cent of passengers after the metro starts running,” auto driver Rana Bera said.The East-West metro services from Sealdah will begin on July 14. The metro will be running 100 services daily from Monday to Saturday. However, no services will be available on Sundays. The first service will start at 6:55 am from Sealdah to Salt Lake Sector-V and at 7 am from Salt Lake SectorV to Sealdah. The last service will be at 9:35 pm from Sealdah and at 9:40 pm from Salt Lake Sector-V.
The East-West metro, which is presently working between Phoolbagan and Sector-V, did not witness much footfall. The officials had predicted that it will increase once the Sealdah Metro Station becomes operational. According to the officials, the metro will now see a crowd of at least 35,000 commuters. In the metro, the highest fare is Rs 20 and the lowest is Rs 10. While an auto to Beliaghata costs Rs 17.The commuters, however, are excited about the opening of Sealdah Station as they can now be relieved from the pain of changing two to three autos to reach their workplace and also save up on the cost which usually came up to Rs 40.