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Kolkata: In a major update, the Kolkata Underwater Metro will open to the public on March 15. The first metro for the public will run from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade at 7:00 AM. Also, the train journeys from Joka-Majherhat and Kavi Subhash to Ruby metro station will also commence on the same day.
The ticket price for the much-awaited underwater Kolkata metro varies between Rs 5 and Rs 50. An extension of the Kolkata Metro, the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro brings a unique experience to India’s first-ever underwater transportation tunnel. Spanning over a total of 16.6 kilometers, the stretch includes a significant part under one of our prominent rivers.
The soon-to-be-launched underwater metro line is expected to connect Howrah Maidan to Esplanade, covering a total of 4.8 kilometers. The segment forms part of the much larger East-West Metro initiative that brings together Howrah Maidan and Salt Lake Sector V, which is a notable technology hub in West Bengal.
PM Mod inaugurated different Metro projects & flagged off Metro services on these new stretches of GreenLine, OrangeLine, & PurpleLine of Kolkata Metro.
Watch:
Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji #inaugurated different #Metro projects & flagged off Metro #services on these new stretches of #GreenLine, #OrangeLine & #PurpleLine of #KolkataMetro #ModiSarkarKiGuarantee#RailInfra4India#RailInfra4WestBengal pic.twitter.com/9BSeTFydJ3
— Metro Railway Kolkata (@metrorailwaykol) March 6, 2024
The stretch also has the deepest metro station in the country, the Howrah Maidan station, at 32 metres below the ground. The tunnels, at a depth of 37 meters below the river, are engineering marvels due to their depth, curvature, design and uncertain nature of the under-river soil.
In a post on X, the prime minister also spoke about his experience of travelling through the underwater tunnel.
“The metro journey was made memorable thanks to the company of these youngsters and those who worked on this project. We also travelled through the tunnel under the Hooghly river.”
“It’s a very special day for the people of Kolkata as the city’s metro network gets significantly enhanced. Connectivity will get a boost and traffic will get decongested. It’s a proud moment that the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro section has the first underwater metro transportation tunnel under any major river in our country,” he said. Modi said, “I bow to ‘Jan Shakti’ and will keep serving them with renewed vigour.”
The East-West Metro Corridor project, which starts from Sector V in Salt Lake and ends at Howrah Maidan, covers a distance of 16.6 km, of which 10.8 km is underground.
“At the moment, it is operational in two parts. Metro services are available from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah and from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan. The Sealdah-Esplanade section is still under construction and it will take about a year to operationalise. Once it is done, it will make the whole East-West corridor one,” a senior railway official said.
(With inputs from agencies)
