The metro route connects the state capitals of West Bengal, Howrah and Salt Lake, by three subterranean stations. Especially, it is expected to cross a 520-meter section beneath the Hooghly River in 45 seconds.
Not long after, Bengal’s Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and state BJP President Sukanta Majumder rode the underwater metro line with the prime minister and schoolchildren. While riding the underwater segment of the train, PM Modi also spoke with the staff.
The metro route connects the state capitals of West Bengal, Howrah and Salt Lake, by three subterranean stations. Especially, it is expected to cross a 520-meter section beneath the Hooghly River in 45 seconds.
Today in Kolkata, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened India’s first underwater metro track, which is a major step forward for the nation’s infrastructure development. This underwater service is a 16.6-kilometer stretch under the Hooghly River that is a part of the Kolkata Metro’s East-West route, which runs from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade.
The groundbreaking event, which was witnessed by Bengal Governor Dr. CV Ananda Bose in addition to other notable figures, commemorates the historic April 2023 trial run of the Kolkata Metro, which saw the successful passage of a train through an underwater tunnel for the first time in Indian history. It was also amazing to observe students from different schools traveling on the first metro.
The bottom part of the recently built tunnel is 26 meters below the river’s surface, and trains are scheduled to run 16 meters below the riverbed. This is the first transportation project in India with a metro train that passes under a river.
About 10.8 kilometers of the route would be underground, while 5.75 kilometers will be elevated on a viaduct, according to the Ministry of Railways. The government stated that Kolkata’s traffic congestion will be greatly reduced by this project.
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Notably, Kolkata Metro carried out a record test run of two six-coach metro trains last year inside the underwater tunnel under the Hooghly River. The project, which was initially scheduled for completion by December 2021, ran into delays because of mishaps that occurred while tunneling in Bowbazar, central Kolkata.
The Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections in Kolkata will also be inaugurated by the prime minister later that day. After that, PM Modi would speak at a public gathering in the North 24 Parganas district of Barasat.
Arriving in the state capital on March 4, the Prime Minister went to the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan, where the president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Swami Smarananandaji Maharaj, is receiving treatment at the moment.
