On August 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open three new metro lines in Kolkata, one of which will be part of India’s first underwater metro. Sukanta Majumdar, a minister in the union, called the projects a “historic gift” for the state just before Durga Puja started.
These are the new metro routes that will open:
Green Line: The Sealdah-Esplanade phase will connect Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector 5 and make India’s first underwater metro fully operational.
The Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby Crossing)-Beleghata stretch is part of the Orange Line.
Yellow Line: The Noapara to Jai Hind (airport) stretch, which will finally connect the metro to the Kolkata airport.
The opening ceremony will take place at the Yellow Line’s Jessore Road metro station. The Green Line is currently made up of two separate parts, but the planned Sealdah-Esplanade link will connect them, making travel easier for millions of people, notably those going to the IT hub in Sector 5. This route will also link the Howrah and Sealdah train stations.
The airport link will be very helpful for both people who fly and people who live in the northern suburbs. At Noapara, the Yellow Line will meet the Blue Line. The Orange Line, which is already running between New Garia and Ruby Crossing, will now go to Beleghata, which is in the eastern and southern suburbs of the city.
PM Modi will open a subway at the Howrah metro station in addition to the metro lines. The Indian Railways runs the city’s metro through a zone called Metro Railway Kolkata.