Kolkata's Metro Railway is completing the replacement of the steel third rail with aluminium third rail in down line between the Belgachia-Tollygunge (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) stretch of the Blue Line by August 2025, a spokesperson said on Sunday.
The third rail provides power to Metro trains. In this new system, a huge amount of energy will be saved which will, in turn, help the Metro Railway reduce its operational cost.
The replacement of the third rail was already done between Shyambazar and Central stations of Down line covering a distance of approximately 4 km, the spokesperson said.
While around 3,500 meters of third rail were replaced in December 2024, approximately 4,000 metres are being changed every month to meet the target of replacement in the entire underground section within August 2025, he said.
Earlier, the process for replacing the third rail was being undertaken after resorting to power blocks on Saturday nights, but now it is being done on weekdays also with all precautions.
Aluminum third rail can reduce system voltage drops and subsequent energy losses, because of its superior electrical conductivity. This less voltage drop in the third rail will help to achieve faster acceleration of the running trains. That will be an improvement in the efficiency of Metro operations.
As a result, the entire expense of replacing this third rail could be realized within three years by saving this operational cost.
Additionally, the aluminium third rail shall reduce carbon emissions by 50,000 tons in its lifetime.
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