Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday inaugurate the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the East-West Metro corridor, a part of which runs under a river – the Hooghly. The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section with the first transportation tunnel ‘under any mighty river in India’ will have the deepest Metro station in India at the Howrah Metro station.

Nestled under the River Hooghly, separating the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah on its east and west banks respectively, this feat stands as a testament to engineering ingenuity. Kolkata Metro touched a milestone in April 2023, as its rakes completed a trial journey under the bed of river Hooghly through a tunnel 32 metres below water level for the first time in India. ‘Although the inauguration will take place tomorrow, the passenger services will begin at a later date,’ CPRO Metro Railways Kaushik Mitra.

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 total 16.6 kilometres of the East-West Metro, 10.8 kilometres 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.

As a Metro train is expected to traverse a 520-metre stretch under the river in just 45 seconds, it not only offers speed but also ensures a seamless and time-efficient mode of transportation, further enhancing Kolkata’s connectivity and urban mobility. This ambitious project not only addresses transportation needs but also tackles longstanding issues of traffic congestion and air pollution in Kolkata, promising a greener, more efficient urban environment. The work for the East-West Metro corridor began in 2009 and the work for tunneling under River Hooghly began in 2017. Completion of the project has suffered delays owing to an aquifer burst at Bowbazar in central Kolkata on August 31, 2019, leading to severe ground subsidence, the collapse of several buildings there and two more water leakage incidents at the same site in 2022 during tunnelling and construction work. The Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah stretch of the East-West Metro corridor is commercially operational at present. The PM will also inaugurate in Kolkata the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and the Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections.