Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 21 : Union Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw inspected Howrah Maidan to Esplanade stretch of East-West Metro (Green Line) project work on Wednesday.
Minister Vaishnaw inspected the station and enquired about the state-of-the-art passenger amenities that are going to be provided here.
Interacting with the media persons at Howrah Maidan Metro station he has categorically informed that all the Metro projects in the city have been allocated enough funds and Central Government has been monitoring the progress of works of all Metro projects minutely.
After completing the inspection of Howrah Maidan station, the Minister undertook a trolley inspection through the Metro tunnel under the river Hooghly and reached Howrah station, which is going to be the deepest Metro station in India.
"This Metro station has been built 33 meters below the surface and has 4 underground levels over 5 lakh sq ft area. Once commissioned, this station is going to be the gateway of Kolkata apart from Sealdah Metro station which has already been commissioned", said an official statement.
In April 2023, Kolkata becomes the first city in the country to successfully conclude the trial of the underground metro. The metro is covering a 520-meter stretch under the Hooghly River in 45 seconds. The tunnel is located 33 meters below the surface.
P Uday Kumar Reddy, General Manager, Metro Railway welcomed Railway Minister at Howrah Maidan Metro station Wednesday evening and appraised him about the progress of works of this stretch.
Reddy briefed Minister Vaishnaw about the tunnel ventilation system, tunnel lighting system, and power supply system as well as train operations that will start soon on this stretch with the help of 3-D models and diagrams.
The Railway Minister also inspected the river tunnel which has been built 16-m below the River Hooghly.
Terming it as an engineering marvel, Minister Vaishnaw expressed his happiness seeing the progress of work and hoped that East-West Metro will soon provide the ultimate transportation solution to the people of a busy and congested city like Kolkata. Once commissioned this Metro Corridor will connect twin cities Howrah and Kolkata and carry 6.7 lakhs passengers daily at the start of services over the entire corridor, the statement added.
Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw completed his inspection at Esplanade and expressed his hope that this 4.8-km long stretch of East-West Metro from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade will be opened for the general public by December 2023 after the inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
All senior officers of Metro Railway, Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited were present during this visit of the Railway Minister.
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