Kolkata Metro to raze parts of Kavi Subhas station after structural cracks

Kolkata: Metro Railway Kolkata has decided to demolish parts of the Kavi Subhash (New Garia) station — the southern terminal of the Blue Line — after cracks appeared on columns of the UP line platforms due to foundation subsidence following heavy rainfall over the past few days. A Metro Railway spokesperson told PTI on Wednesday that the station would be partially dismantled and services would now operate between Sahid Khudiram and Dakshineswar on both UP and DN sections. "For the next couple of months, train movement from New Garia will be suspended as part of the station will be razed," the spokesperson said. "We will overhaul a portion of the station connecting New Garia with Dakshineswar," he added, noting that it was difficult to provide a definitive timeframe for when the rebuilt station complex would be ready. Another Metro Railway official said the process for floating a tender for the construction of the part of the station has started already, and work will start on a war footing soon. Despite the disruption on the Blue Line, services between Kavi Subhas and Ruby Crossing on the Orange Line will remain unaffected, the spokesperson said. Parts of the station catering to the Blue line — the signal and telecom (ST) equipment are already being demolished. "We spotted the station's columns developing cracks on Monday. We took the decision of curtailing services for passenger safety," the spokesperson added. This was the first time in the history of Metro Railway Kolkata that a station was being dismantled following cracks in its pillars. "All other 25 stations of the North-South line are in good condition," the spokesperson said. The 32-km Blue Line, Kolkata Metro’s oldest, was extended southward in two phases between 2009 and 2010—first from the then-terminal Tollygunge (now Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) to Garia Bazar (Kavi Nazrul), and later to New Garia (Kavi Subhash). The Kavi Subhas station was opened in October 2010.