The underwater metro in Kolkata begins operations.
India’s first underwater metro service commenced commercial operations today in Kolkata amid commuter excitement. Trains departed the Howrah Maidan and Esplanade stations simultaneously at 7 am to loud cheers.
Hundreds queued up early to experience riding the “first-day underwater metro.” At Howrah Maidan, long queues were seen for tickets, while commuters at Esplanade were greeted with rose stems.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also boarded one of the trains alongside school students. He virtually inaugurated several other metro projects in Kolkata and across India.
The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade corridor has India’s first-ever transportation tunnel under a river – beneath the Hooghly. It also has the country’s deepest metro station at Howrah, which is 30 meters.
As trains passed through the 520-metre under-river section, commuters saw tunnel illumination effects resembling underwater scenery. The 45-second journey below the Hooghly intrigued commuters.
The East-West Metro work started in 2009, with tunneling under the river beginning in 2017. Its Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah stretch already operates commercially.
Kolkata Metro’s network spans 47.93 km, including the North-South and East-West corridors. Further extensions of 13.27 km were also inaugurated, expanding connectivity.
