What Is the Underwater Metro in Kolkata?
The Kolkata Underwater Metro line is a part of the East-West Metro line connecting the Sealdah and Howrah stations. The tunnel, known as the East-West Metro tunnel, will have a part running 30 metres under the Hoogly river of about 520 Kms, which is deemed as the most exciting part of the project. While the regular metro line has been functional since February 13 of 2020, the underwater portion of the tunnel was expected to be completed by 2021 but delays caused might further push the completion date to 2022.The tunnel under the river is estimated to allow passengers to reach the Mahakaran station from Howran under a minute. This project will be highly tempting for the 10 lakh passengers who are believed to use the metro line every day by the year 2035.
How Much Is the Cost of the Kolkata Underwater Metro Line?
The project foundation was laid in the year 2009 and the total cost was calculated to be around INR 49 Billion for a total length of 14 Kms. But the emergence of delays and issues caused by extension of the track length has almost doubled the cost to around INR 86 billion.Japan International Cooperation Agency has lent around INR 41.6 billion while the Indian Railway Board is expected to provide around INR 20 crore over two years towards the completion of the project.
Kolkata Underwater Metro Route
Connecting the East-West corridor, the project is being completed under the Indian Railways and shall span from the Salt Lake Stadium to Howrah. Spanning from the Salt Lake Sector 5 to Karunamoyee, Central Park, City Center and Bengal Chemical, about 5 kilometres of the line is ready and under scrutiny for approval.Reduced Travel Time along the Underwater Metro in Kolkata
While the new metro line is expected to support up to 40% of daily traffic, the underwater metro line is believed to cut the travel time across the Hooghly river to under a minute. Using the ferry to cross the river takes around 20 minutes and travelling by road can take up to 30 mins or 45 mins.Let us know what you think of Kolkata’s newest addition for its travellers in the comments below!