KOLKATA: This is the nation’s first underwater Metro. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi threw open the underwater Metro link, connecting Kolkata and its twin, Howrah, on Wednesday, history was created, with the first Metro zooming along the underwater section.
The PM took an under-river ride with a group of lucky schoolkids, but the average Kolkata citizen would have to wait a little more, said Metro sources.
The new lines (the PM inaugurated two more, apart from the under-river section) would be thrown open to all in seven to 10 days, said sources. Trains in the newly opened Esplanade-Howrah stretch will run at an interval of 12 minutes or less during rush hours. The East-West Metro, of which 2.5km is still incomplete, will be fully operational by October-end, they added.
About 103 years ago, in 1921, a British engineer of Indian origin, Sir Harley Dalrymple-Hay, had dreamt of connecting the vibrant east (Kolkata) with the bustling west (Howrah).
PM Modi made this a reality on Wednesday by taking the under-river ride from East-West line’s 30m-deep Esplanade station (India’s second-deepest Metro station) with 100-odd schoolchildren around 10.20am. The PM also launched two more crucial links: the long-awaited first phase of the New Garia-Airport Metro and the second phase of the Joka-Esplanade Metro. A year ago, Modi had virtually commissioned a 6.5km stretch of the 14km Joka-Esplanade Metro, without signals. From now on, the line will operate with signals and the number of services is likely to be doubled.
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) managing director VK Srivastava, confirming the start of service for all in 10 days at most, added that trains on the route would operate six days a week. There would be no service on Sundays for maintenance.
The uncertainties and delays notwithstanding, Wednesday was a milestone in Kolkata’s rapid transit network. ‘For us Kolkata commuters, after October 24, 1984, when the country’s first Metro line came alive, this was a red-letter day, as three Metro corridors with interfaces were opened,’ said retired schoolteacher Debabrata Chowdhury. The collective euphoria amid onlookers, who had gathered around the new Esplanade Metro station, was palpable.
The PM, addressing a party rally later, said when he had visited Kolkata for the first time as a youngster, one of the biggest attractions for him was the country’s first Metro.
