Metro Railway has been Kolkata’s pride for four decades, offering a smooth and quick transport option to office-goers, students, shoppers and many more.
India’s first Metro line, spanning 3.4km between Esplanade and Bhowanipore, opened on October 24, 1984. Excited and curious Kolkatans flocked for their first underground ride. On Kolkata Metro Railway’s 40th birthday, My Kolkata spoke to citizens who experienced the transportation wonder between 1984 and 1985 when the hype was what today we call ‘viral’.
Remembering the ‘Work towards Progress’
I took my first ride on the Metro in November 1984. I boarded the train from Park Street around 6pm and went up to Bhowanipore, which was then a terminal station. Frankly, I was a bit apprehensive about taking the right train considering there were Up and Down lines. But when I walked down into the belly of Chowringhee, I was overwhelmed by the spotlessly clean station, cool and fresh – a far cry from the dust and bustle above. I felt like someone entering a new world. I followed it up with two successive rides not much later despite not staying close to Bhowanipore. There was tremendous hype about India’s first Metro Railway network but we had years of inconvenience as well. Nearly eight years of dug-up roads, absence of public transport on Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road and traffic moving at a snail’s pace on Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Buildings on the stretch were covered with dust, iron and steel plates and rods, construction material. But we told ourselves that this pain would end in ‘gain’. Not just ‘Work in Progress’ but ‘Work towards Progress’. Looking back it feels so good that I was fortunate to be a witness to the birth of Metro, which is a lifeline for commuters in Kolkata today.
Biplab Ganguly, veteran newscaster and Doordarshan presenter
It became a tourist spot
It was during the summer holidays of 1985 when we took our two daughters, then 11 and 8 years old, to ride the Metro. For us, it was a joyride. We boarded the Metro from Girish Park to go to Esplanade as we wanted to visit New Market. The children were very excited and the ride was smooth. With years of construction work going on, I recall the buildings nearby developing cracks because of the impact of the cranes and heavy building machinery. But once it was all done, the city only benefitted from it. Back then, for anyone who came to visit us from outside of Kolkata, a Metro ride was a must.
Rita Ambett, retired teacher and educationist
The joy of experiencing both underground and underwater Metro
In 1984, Metro began its operations with a two-rake train from Esplanade to Bhowanipore. I took a ride from Esplanade to Bhowanipore on the second day, which was October 25, with my mother. I went to my mother’s office in Dalhousie and her colleagues told her to keep a watch on me as it could be suffocating underground. Around 4.30pm, my mother took me to the Esplanade station and I remember there was a long queue at the ticket counter. The ticket back then was not the token we see today. It was made of paper. I don’t remember the fare because I was too young. But what I remember is that the enthusiasm amongst people was the same as I witnessed this time when the underwater Metro began. There were a lot of kids, office-goers and I think the Kolkata Metro Railway had arranged a ride. The coaches were yellow and brown. What was amazing to me were the announcements inside the Metro when it reached the platforms and the doors opened and closed. Back then, Metro doors took longer to open and close, making the announcement necessary. I took the window seat and when we were crossing Maidan, I could see some painting work was going on. When we reached Bhowanipore, deboarding the train was rather chaotic. I remember my mother asking me: “How was it?” I told her that I loved the announcements and the fact that we had travelled under the ground! Obviously, I was too young to appreciate other details of the train. Last year, when Howrah Metro started (East-West), I took the train from Esplanade to Howrah at 2.30pm. It was amazing to go into the depths of the river Hooghly. The blue light made it all the more exciting and people were cheering and taking videos and photos. I felt the same joy I felt as a kid, after 39 years.
Riddhi Majumder, assistant professor (senior), St Xavier’s College, Kolkata
Experiencing the trial run
I was working as a photographer in an English daily in Kolkata. A few months before the Metro started its service, we were invited to take the ride for a trial run. The train was empty with a few of us on board. I remember the officials told us that one coach had been filled up with bricks to maintain a certain load weight and on another coach, the press-media was there. If I remember correctly, we took the Metro from Shyambazar to Dum Dum. I was a little doubtful since it was a trial run. But it was exciting to ride through the tunnels. Then, a few months later, we went for a second trial run. This time, I think it was from Park Street to Bhowanipore. Throughout the construction, I was on duty taking photographs of the construction. Any development and I would rush to the place. Then the day came when Metro was opened to the public and the excitement was at its peak. Many people crowded to experience this ‘new thing’ in the city. In the initial days, there were some issues. The Metro would get stuck in the tunnel, waterlogging was another issue. But gradually it was all overcome and now it is serving lakhs of people in the city.
Shyamal Maitra, freelance photographer
An unforgettable ride
