Metro Railway Kolkata, India’s pioneering metro system, commenced its transformative journey on October 24, 1984. Since then, it has epitomised Kolkata’s aspirations, hope, and relentless pursuit of progress. Every day, millions of commuters rely on the Metro to swiftly and comfortably reach their destinations.
More Details:
Kolkata Metro has started to expand its wings very fast in order to reach every corner of Kolkata as well as suburban areas. A total of 11.45 Kms (5.4 Km of Orange Line, 4.8 Km of Green Line and 1.25 Km of Purple Line) is being added with the existing Kolkata Metro network which is a momentous occasion.
Orange Line:
One new Metro Corridor from Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay stretch of Orange Line is being inaugurated much to the delight of the citizens of West Bengal. This 5.4-km stretch has been built at a cost of Rs. 1,435 crores. The five stations on this stretch have been named after luminaries like Film maestro Satyajit Ray, writer Jyotirindra Nandi, Poet Sukanta Bhattacharya and Subhash Mukhopadhyay and famous singer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. This is our endeavour to pay our respect to the rich cultural heritage of West Bengal.
Benefits:
- This Metro Corridor will decongest the busy Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and reduce travel time between Kavi Subhash and Rabi Thakur More.
- Residents of Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Purbalok, and distant areas like Canning, Diamond Harbour, and Namkhana will benefit from accessing Metro services at Kavi Subhash Metro station via New Garia station on the Eastern Railway.
- Patients, expectant mothers and their relatives will be able to reach different famous hospitals of the medical hub on EM Bypass.
- Thousands of Passport applicants can reach Regional Passport Centre easily by getting down at Hemanta Mukhopadhyay station.
- Commuters from Howrah, Hooghly, and North 24 Parganas on the Blue Line can seamlessly switch to Orange Line Metro services at Kavi Subhash station using Integrated Ticketing System with the same tokens and smart cards.
- The Metro project from New Garia (Kavi Subhash) – Airport (Biman Bandar) was sanctioned in 2010-11 as an elevated corridor at a cost of Rs. 3952 Cr. and the revised sanctioned cost is Rs. 8964 Cr.
- Main work on the 5.4 km section from New Garia to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay has been completed, receiving CRS authorization on 07.02.23 and EI authorization on 07.02.24, with the section inaugurated by Hon’ble PM on 06.03.24.
Green Line:
Howrah and Kolkata, two centuries-old cities, will soon be connected beneath the Hooghly River—a first for India’s Metro systems. The 4.8-km East-West Metro stretch, costing Rs 4,965 crores, features India’s deepest Metro station at Howrah (30 metres deep).
Currently, 9.3 km of the corridor is operational, with the remainder set to open soon. This corridor reduces travel time between Sealdah and Salt Lake to just 20 minutes, compared to over an hour by road.
Once fully operational, the East-West Corridor will connect Sealdah and Howrah Railway stations, providing interchange points at Esplanade with the North-South Corridor. It includes India’s first under-river transportation tunnel, spanning 520 metres and located 13 metres below the river bed. Additionally, the Howrah station is one of the deepest Metro stations in India, at 30 metres below ground level.
Benefits:
- This corridor once fully commissioned will connect two major Railway terminus at Howrah and Sealdah and also connect existing North-South Metro and Joka-Esplanade Corridor at Esplanade station.
- It will also solve the perennial traffic congestion and improve air quality by reducing carbon footprint.
- People coming from distant places of Hooghly, Howrah, Midnapore as well as other states will be immensely benefited by availing Metro services after getting down at Howrah station of Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.
Purple Line:
Commercial services on Joka- Taratala stretch of Purple Line have already started. Now this service is going to be extended up to Majerhat. This 1.25 km extension of Purple Line from Taratala to Majerhat has been executed at a cost of Rs . 525 crores. Metro work between Joka to Esplanade is under construction and a 6.5 km section from Joka to Taratala has been opened by Hon’ble PM on 30.12.2022 with one train only system.
The 1.25 Km section from Taratala to Majerhat is getting inaugurated by Hon’ble PM on 06.03.24 An expenditure of Rs. 3575 Cr has been incurred in the project up to Feb’24, out of which 635 Cr has been incurred for the State of the Art Maintenance Depot at Joka and rest for Viaduct and Stations for completion of Joka – Taratala section.
Benefits:
- Establishing connectivity with EMU services of Sealdah-Budge Budge section and Circular Railway of Eastern Railway at Majerhat Station.
- Commuters of South Kolkata residing away from the main city, who come to the city daily for their livelihood will be immensely benefited.
- It will also help to decongest the traffic movement on busy Diamond Harbour Road connecting Kolkata with furthest areas of South 24 Parganas.
Future Prospects:
The ongoing efforts to expand Kolkata Metro reflect the government’s commitment to modernising public transportation and fostering sustainable urban development. As these projects progress, they promise to usher in a new era of connectivity, convenience, and prosperity for the city and its residents.
Source: Kolkata Metro – Press Release| Images Credit: Kolkata Metro
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