All entry gates at Howrah metro station shut for 20 minutes due to technical issues; passengers suffer

Commuters at the busy Howrah Metro station were left stranded on Tuesday afternoon when authorities suddenly closed all entry gates for over 20 minutes without any prior announcement. The disruption, which began around 12:15 PM, led to massive crowds building up outside the station. Passengers, including office-goers and daily travelers, were kept in the dark for nearly 25 minutes before an official announcement was made regarding a delay in train operations toward Salt Lake Sector V.

The root cause of the chaos was reportedly a technical glitch involving the Platform Screening Doors (PSD) at the Mahakaran station. While rumors of a fire at Mahakaran circulated among the frustrated crowd, Metro officials later clarified that it was a mechanical fault. During the peak of the disruption, authorities advised passengers not to purchase new tickets and restricted access to the platforms to manage the swelling crowd, even after the gates were briefly reopened.

Services on the Green Line were partially restored around 12:37 PM, with a train from Mahakaran heading toward Howrah Maidan to eventually turn back as an 'Up' train toward Sector V. Normalcy began to return by 12:51 PM when the first train arrived at Howrah station, though gates were intermittently closed to regulate the passenger flow. Despite the claiming that services had stabilized, many commuters faced significant delays during the busy mid-day hours.