Kolkata Metro: India’s First Underwater Metro Set To Run Its Route Soon

KOLKATA METRO : As per reports, Kolkata’s underwater Metro route is ready for operations soon. The line that runs
underneath the Hooghly is commonly known as the “underwater Metro” and is a part of Kolkata
Metro’s East-West corridor that will connect two large railway stations, Sealdah and Howrah. Once up
and running, it is expected to facilitate thousands of daily commuters to the city.
The underground tunnel will have a portion running underneath the Hoogly river and considered to be a
challenging and exciting part of the project. Kolkata will be first Indian city to have a route that will run
underneath a large riverbed.
Metro Railway authorities undertook a successful trail run on the route on 12 April 2023 from Howrah
Maidan to Esplanade. On board that trip were only officials and engineers.
Last Tuesday, Jaya Varma Sinha, CEO of the Railway Board and P Uday Kumar Reddy, General Manager
of Metro Railway, along with senior officials of Metro and Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL)
inspected the Howrah Maidan to Esplanade stretch of the East-West Metro including the Passenger
Interchanging Points of Metro Railway with Eastern and South Eastern Railway at Howrah station.
The stretch of the East-West Metro from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade is 5 kms approximately and is
expected to be ready for public use by next month.
Currently, the Sealdah to Salt Lake Sector V stretch of the East-West corridor is operational and is
already a welcome mode of mass transit for hundreds of employees in the IT hub of the capital.
The stretch will have eight stations along its route – Sealdah, Phoolbagan, Salt Lake stadium, Bengal
Chemical, City Centre, Central Park, Karunamoyee, and Salt Lake Sector-V.
After the commencement of operations in the entire corridor, three new stations are scheduled to be
added to the list. They are Howrah Maidan, Howrah Station Complex, and BBD Bagh (Mahakaran).