16.5 Km Stretch, 16 Mt Below River: Kolkata Set To Launch India's First Underwater Metro

While the inauguration is scheduled for tomorrow, the passenger services will commence at a later date.

View of the India's first underwater metro tunnel in Kolkata.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India's first underwater metro tunnel in Kolkata on March 6 (Wednesday). The metro tunnel built under the Hooghly River is part of the Kolkata Metro's East-West corridor and connects Howrah Maidan to Esplanade.

While the inauguration is scheduled for tomorrow, the passenger services will commence at a later date. “Although the inauguration will take place tomorrow, the passenger services will begin at a later date,” CPRO Metro Railways Kaushik Mitra said, reported PTI.

Let's Take A Look At The Features Of India's First Underwater Metro Tunnel-

• The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the East-West Metro corridor will have the deepest metro station in India at the Howrah Metro station.

#WATCH | India's first underwater metro rail service in Kolkata set to be inaugurated by PM Modi on 6th March pic.twitter.com/ib5938Vn8x

— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2024

• Spanning a 4.8-kilometer stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade, this section forms a vital segment of the East-West Metro corridor, connecting key areas like the IT hub Salt Lake Sector V.
  
  
• Of the 16.6 kilometers of the East-West Metro, 10.8 kilometers consist of an underground corridor, including the groundbreaking tunnel beneath the Hooghly River.
  
  
• The section of the metro, featuring six stations, three of which are underground, promises improved accessibility for commuters, catering to the city’s bustling areas strategically.
  
  
• In April 2023, it completed a trial journey under the bed of river Hooghly through a tunnel 32 metres below water level for the first time in India.
  
  
• The work for the East-West Metro corridor began in 2009 and the work for tunneling under River Hooghly began in 2017.
  
  
• This project will not only address transportation needs but will also tackle longstanding issues of traffic congestion and air pollution in Kolkata.
  
  
• Apart from this, the PM will also inaugurate in Kolkata the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and the Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections.