The launch of East-West Metro services awaits a formal nod from the commissioner of railway safety (CRS), after undergoing an inspection by a CRS team last week.
The East-West Metro corridor, also known as Line-2, will be eligible for final commissioning only after getting clearance from the CRS. After the nod from the CRS is received, the final permission will have to be obtained from the railway board, before kicking off commercial services for the six stations at Salt Lake from Sector V to Salt Lake Stadium.
Notably, of the six stations of the first phase of Line-2, only four stations from Sector-V to City Centre, had the ‘no objection certificate’ from the state fire and emergency services department at the time of the inspection carried by the commissioner of railway safety.
The provisional certificate for the remaining two stations of Bengal Chemical and Salt Lake Stadium, were still awaited when the inspection was going on. Without the provisional NOC, the Metro authorities would have to commence service over a stretch of 3.5km instead of 5 km, further cutting down the operational stretch that was already truncated.
According to Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) officials, the provisional certificate from the fire and emergency services department for the two stations, has been received and sent to the CRS. “We have sent the provisional certificate for the remaining two stations to the commissioner of railway safety,” informed a metro official. “With this, all the six stations included in the first phase of the East-West Metro have got clearance. We are awaiting a formal nod from the CRS,” he added.