Kolkata, Nov 30 (UNI) The cheapest and quickest mode of transport of this metropolis and its adjoining districts -Kolkata Metro Railway-has carried over 9.3 crore passengers in the last five months since July 24.
While 8 crore passengers have travelled on Blue Line, around 61 lakh passengers on Green Line-1, around 64 lakh passengers on Green Line-2, 2.7 lakh passengers on Orange Line, and 79000 passengers on Purple Line have travelled during these five months.
The first underground railway network in India, Kolkata Metro, has developed rapidly with time in the past four decades since its inception in 1984 and now boasts to be the first tube railway connectivity under the Ganga river in the line of the iconic Howrah Bridge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first commuters to ride the train under the Ganga River on March 6, a week before it was opened to the public.
Over time Metro Railway has not only been the backbone of the mode of transport of this city but also gained popularity after east-west connectivity was developed.
Consequently, it has also been observed that more and more Metro commuters are opting for payments through digital mode i.e. UPI, Net Banking, and Debit/Credit Cards to purchase tokens and Smart Cards and recharge Smart Cards in Metro.
These different types of digital payment have been helping commuters save time and get rid of the problem of changes. A based Ticketing System has been introduced in all the Automatic Smart Card Recharge Machines (ASCRM) installed at stations as well as ticket counters of Blue Line Green Line-1, Green Line-2, Orange, and Purple Lines.
As a result, commuters now don’t need to tender the exact fare in currency notes and coins at these stations. Instead, they are now recharging their Smart Cards or purchasing tokens with the help of this alternative system.
After the introduction of this digital mode of payment in Kolkata Metro, great enthusiasm has been observed amongst the passengers to purchase tokens or Smart Cards with this new system rather than opting for the traditional method of tendering the fare in currency notes.
More and more passengers have found this ticketing mode user-friendly too.
Out of the total earnings, over 25.51 percent of earnings are coming through digital mode of payment. As per the latest data from July’24 to November 2024, this trend of using digital mode for payment has been gradually increasing among commuters, according to the Chief Public Relations Officer Kaushik Mitra.
