The Metro Rail authorities expect normalcy in train services to return within a week. But the Metro would be crowded during peak hours for commercial operations in the extension project, said J K Mitra, the Chief Operating Manger of Metro Rail.

On Wednesday, Metro services improved a bit. Tapash Sen, who usually takes the Metro from Tollygunge at 10 am, said he could enter the compartment though it was crowded. For the last two days, Sen found it difficult to board the train during peak hours.

However, the frequency of six minutes in train services during peak hours was not maintained according to the schedule. An official at Esplanade Metro station said trains were delayed by two to five minutes during peak hours on Thursday.

Mitra said the existing 18 rakes are enough to maintain six to seven minutes’ frequency during peak hours. A changeover system has been installed beyond Garia Bazar to transfer the train from Up track to Down track. For technical reasons, it took more time to shift the train from Up track to Down track. So it created an impact in maintaining frequency in train services. “We are trying to rectify it soon,” said Mitra.

Regarding the crowd in the Metro since Monday, Mitra said sale of tickets shot up to 5.33 lakh on Monday against the normal sale of 4.25 lakh during any busy day. On Tuesday, the figure dipped again.

But a section of employees at the Metro Rail alleged that staff strength has not been increased to run the extension projects. Additional employees are required to run the ticket counters at the four new stations, they said.

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