Kolkata Gets Underground Metro After 25 Years

After 25 years, Kolkata has got an underground metro station on Sunday as the East-West line will be extended till Phoolbagan, an official said.

The Phoolbagan metro station is the first underground one to be opened on the line that will connect Sector V to Howrah Maidan, he said. Services of the East-West Metro began earlier this year between Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium in the first phase.

Commercial services between Phoolbagan and Sector V will commence from Monday, the official said.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off the first train from Phoolbagan through a video link, the official said.

Owing to the COVID-19 situation, there will be no formal function at the venue.

The underground MG Road metro station on the North- South line was opened in September 1995. All metro stations opened after that are either elevated or at grade-level, a PTI report said.

The 16.6-km-long rapid transit system, connecting the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah, may be completed by mid- 2022, the report added.

According to estimates, the East-West Corridor of Kolkata Metro will be used by as many as 10 lakh people by 2035.

This will not only reduce travel time, but also bring down the pollution level by providing eco-friendly mode of transport to the people of Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/YKj11q4QTt

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 4, 2020

Now, time taken to travel from Phoolbagan to Salt Lake Sector-5 by Metro will only be 16 minutes, as against more than 1 hour taken by road.

Movement from one part of Kolkata to another is now going to be faster & convenient with enhanced connectivity. pic.twitter.com/kHfUROYwU7

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 4, 2020