Hoping for more AC rides? Little chance this year

KOLKATA: There’s no immediate relief on the cards for Metro commuters. In the next two years, all that the Metro will receive are two AC rakes from Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, and these won’t allow increase in frequency or improvement in services.
The 14 rakes that have been ordered from CNR Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co Ltd in China may be used for the Joka-BBD Bag or New Garia-Airport-Noapara stretches that officials hope will be completed in the next two years.
“Even the 13 AC rakes that are being operated by Metro now are from the replacement quota. It was decided that the Metro would operate 29 rakes every day. Now, the Metro operates 23 rakes of which two are kept on standby. Some times, even the standby rakes aren’t available. How will things improve?” wondered Dilip Mukherjee, president, Metro Railway Men’s Union.
Metro officials, however, maintained that things will start looking up soon. The existing North-South corridor will get two three-phase rakes in 2016 and those from China will start arriving a year later.
“We have already placed orders with ICF, Chennai. In May, the deal with the Chinese firm was finalized. Of the 14, seven is expected to arrive in 2017. The remaining will arrive in 2018. There are no plans to operate new rakes in the Joka-BBD Bag stretch. However, a circular
network is likely to be formed once the New Garia – Airport – Noapara stretch is completed. These rakes may then operate in the circular system. As of now, we plan to run only AC rakes in the existing network within the next 2-3 years,” a senior official said.
There are also doubts on whether the Metro link from Joka will go up to BBD Bag. According to a source, the stretch may get terminated at Esplanade and linked to the existing network. This may allow train movement directly between Noapara or Dumdum and Joka.