Kolkata Metro to go app-only for fares; Orange Line partial commissioning by December 2026

“In order to reduce queues for manual tickets, we want passengers to use the mobile app or smart cards for tickets,” Mishra said.

“We want to make payments fully app based so that passengers do not have to carry anything apart from their mobile phones.” The announcement was part of a wider push to digitalise services across the network.

Mishra offered several infrastructure updates. He said the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the Blue Line has been sanctioned and will be implemented alongside necessary engineering works.

“It has to be done along with engineering operations, and right now we are working on that. It will be finalised and completed in the next three to four years,” he said. The CBTC system is expected to improve train movement, reduce waiting times and enhance safety.

On the Orange Line, Mishra said work is progressing and a significant section will be ready soon. “Of the Orange Line’s total 29 kilometres, around 19 kilometres are expected to be commissioned by December 2026,” he said, marking a major milestone in the metro’s network expansion.

The GM also confirmed that repairs at Kavi Subhash station and the stretch to Shaheed Khudiram will begin shortly, after being delayed by the Chhath Puja festival.

“We thought of doing it now but because of the Chhath Puja festival, maybe next week we will start. Repairs at Kavi Subhash Metro will begin soon,” Mishra told officials and staff.

Kolkata Metro celebrated its Foundation Day by recalling its beginnings: inaugurated in 1984, it was India’s first metro service, starting with a 3.4-km stretch and going on to become a lifeline for the city. Today the network extends into the suburbs across multiple corridors and serves millions of commuters daily.

The Foundation Day programme closed on a lighter note with a magic show designed to spread awareness about hygiene and dos and don’ts inside metro premises. Officials said the combined focus on digital services, signalling upgrades and network expansion underlines the metro’s plans to modernise and improve commuter experience in the years ahead.

(Anisha Ghosh is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express)

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