Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate a metro train route connecting Howrah Maidan and Esplanade in Kolkata today, marking the realization of a long-held aspiration for city residents. This milestone event will also unveil India's inaugural under-river tunnel, a 4.8-km passage linking the two stations. Notably, a segment stretching 1.2 km plunges to depths of 30 meters beneath the Hooghly river, establishing it as the nation's premier transportation tunnel beneath a significant waterway.
In addition to this achievement, the Howrah metro station will claim the title of being the deepest in the nation. The under-river tunnel forms a crucial segment of the East-West Metro Corridor initiative, which currently spans from Sector V in Salt Lake to Sealdah. This expansion project will further stretch to Howrah Maidan, covering a comprehensive distance of 16.6 km, with 10.8 km of it positioned underground.
According to Metro Railway, this corridor was identified in the city's master plan in 1971. The experience of India's first metro in Kolkata and the success of the Delhi metro network provided enough technical support and showed the way to the planners to sanction it in July 2008. That's how the fascinating journey of building the East-West corridor began. This line connects Howrah and Sealdah railway stations, two of the busiest stations in the world, and passes through under Hooghly river, the first such river crossing in the country," Kausik Mitra, Chief Public Relation Officer, Metro Railways, said.
Highlighting the historical significance of Howrah and Kolkata, the Prime Minister emphasized that this under-river tunnel will forge a connection between these two centuries-old cities beneath the Hooghly River. Operated under the Indian Railways umbrella, the Metro Railways system is set to unveil the 4.8-km East-West Metro stretch from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade. This ambitious project, executed at a cost of Rs 4,138 crore, will house the deepest metro station in India at Howrah.
With the potential to transform the mass transport landscape of the region, the newly inaugurated stretch is poised to provide swift train connectivity. The development is expected to address perennial traffic congestion issues and contribute to enhanced air quality by curbing carbon emissions.