The East-West Metro corridor may take a few more years to connect to Howrah station, but train passengers need not wait that long for a comfortable ride to the city. The West Bengal State Transport Corporation (WBSTC) and Eastern Railway (ER) have introduced air-conditioned bus services from within the station premises for them.

For the time being, two Volvo buses are making seven to eight trips a day to and from the station. As and when the demand goes up, more buses will be introduced, officials said. The buses, meant exclusively for train passengers, are arriving and starting from the cabways of the old and new complex. This is the first time that buses have been allowed in the station premises as per a TOI report. 

And there's more good news for Kolkatans. This summer, the government has also decided to introduce more AC buses for which there's a huge demand. In fact, state transport corporations have already started introducing AC buses on new routes. And the state transport department has invited expressions of interest (EoI) from private companies to run AC buses in the city and suburbs. At the moment, there are 60 Volvo buses on the roads, of which a private company runs 30 and the rest are run by the WBSTC.

Talking about the AC buses from Howrah station on Sunday, transport minister Madan Mitra had said: "These buses, which were earlier terminating at Esplanade, have been extended up to Howrah station as the demand is huge."

The fares have been fixed at Rs 20, Rs 30 and Rs 40, depending on the distance travelled. Officials don't think people will hesitate to pay the sum for a comfortable journey. In fact, some of them are worried that people who don't commute by train but take buses to Kolkata from outside the station will want to enter the cabways and board the AC buses. Officials are now considering creating a designated enclosure for these buses.