Kolkata Metro Adapts Global Transportation Trend, Announces Common Mobility Card

As soon as Kolkata’s East-West Metro starts running early next year, commuters will be issued a ‘common mobility card’ so that those travelling on the North-South route need not buy separate tickets, Times Of India has reported.

“Keeping the eventuality in mind, we will start issuing the ‘common mobility card’ at the start of the commissioning. This will encourage more and more commuters to take the East-West Metro. They can board the trains with the card they bought at one of the six operational East-West stations or any of those on the North-South route,” an official told Times of India.

Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) will bear the cost of the mobility cards. KMRC is the implementing agency of the Rs 8,575-crore East-West Metro project to connect Howrah Maidan with Salt Lake’s Sector V. The first phase of the East-West Metro will be commissioned next year between Sector V and Salt Lake stadium.

In 2021, East-West will be connected to the North-South route. Till then, the common mobility card will help commuters on both the lines. The mobility card could later be integrated with other modes of transport in the city if the state government wishes. Currently, Delhi has its own common mobility card that can be used by commuters to travel by both Metro trains and state run buses.