India’s first underwater Metro became functional on Wednesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ceremonially launching the section that links the twin cities of Howrah and Kolkata across the Hooghly.
From the newly built and decked-out Esplanade station of East-West Metro (Green Line), Modi also launched two other truncated Metro sections — between New Garia and Ruby (part of the New Garia-Airport corridor or Orange Line) and between Taratala and Majerhat (part of the Joka-Esplanade link or Purple Line).
All three sections that were opened on Wednesday should see commercial run in “a week to 10 days”, said a senior Metro official.
The Esplanade station was packed with railway employees, students, guests and Modi supporters. As hundreds of people kept chanting his name, Modi waved at them. Long after he left, the supporters kept chanting his name and “abki baar, 400 paar”, an assertion of bagging more than 400 seats in the upcoming general election, as envisaged by Modi.
The inaugurations were done around 10.25am. Minutes later, Modi boarded a train at Esplanade. Accompanied by governor C.V. Ananda Bose, schoolchildren and workers and engineers associated with the project, that will finally connect Howrah Maidan and Sector V, covering a stretch of 16.6km, Modi rode to Howrah Maidan and back, before leaving for a rally in Barasat.
The train took less than 10 minutes to reach Howrah Maidan from Esplanade and around 45 seconds to zip through the stretch under the Hooghly. Blue LED lights inside the tunnel indicate that a train is entering the underwater stretch.
“It is 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 is a proud moment that the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro section has the first underwater Metro,” Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Once commercial run starts between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade, it shall make a big difference in how people living across the river commute to the heart of Kolkata, via rail, road and the river.
The Howrah Metro station is a stone’s throw from the DRM office and platform No. 12 in the old complex of the railway station.
The foundation stone of East-West Metro was laid 15 years ago. It is now operational between Sealdah and Sector V.
After the Howrah Maidan- Esplanade stretch sees commercial run, only the 2.5km Esplanade-Sealdah stretch will be left.
With the commissioning of the New Garia-Ruby line, a commuter from Howrah can reach Ruby on a single ticket of Rs 50.
The passenger will board a Green Line train at Howrah and get down at Esplanade. At Esplanade, she will board a Blue Line (north-south corridor) train to New Garia. There, she will board an Orange Line train to Ruby.
The integration of Majerhat — which has a suburban railway station — into the Metro map will also be useful for many passengers.
“A total of 11.45km was added to the Metro network on Wednesday. This will change the way people travel in and around Kolkata,” said P. Uday Kumar Reddy, Metro general manager.
