Joka-Taratala Metro: Last minute preparations underway, waiting for clearance
The Metro Authority is trying to start running trains on the Joka-Taratala Metro Route this year. According to metro sources, as the signaling work is not completed, the one at a time method will be adopted for the time being. In the absence of smart gates, paper tickets may return instead of tokens.The news brings relief to Behala residents. If everything goes well, the metro can be started on the Joka-Taratala route within this year. The Commissioner of Railway Safety recently inspected the route. His report is due this week. If the report gets clearance, the metro movement will start on Joka-Taratala route within this year. However, the signaling work on the Joka-Taratla metro route has not been completed. So in this case trains can be run in one at a time method. That is, after one metro leaves Joka and reaches Taratala, another metro will leave.Therefore, the time gap between the two metros will be a bit longer for now. Besides, the smart gate for the Joka-Taratala route is yet to come up. Therefore old paper tickets and old gates can return on this route. Metro authorities also have to think about the shortage of staff. For now, the authorities are thinking of handling the situation by bringing personnel from other routes.The length of Joka-Taratla metro route is 6 and a half kilometers. There are total 6 stations on this route. Joka, Thakurpukur, Shakherbazar, Behala Chowrasta, Behala Bazar and Taratala.Trial run of Metro started from Joka to Taratala last September. The work of line leaves made with indigenous technology has already been completed. Carshed work has also progressed a lot. 2 non AC rakes retired from Kolkata Metro were brought to Joka by road for trial run. It was supposed that the trial run of the Joka-Taratala Metro would take place at the end of August. That happened in mid-September. Metro is experimentally run from Joka to Taratala on a 6 and a half km route. The then railway minister Mamata Banerjee had announced this project more than 1 decade ago.
