Kolkata Metro conducted its first underwater trial runs, creating history on Wednesday. This is when a rake of the metro train ran through a tunnel under a river for the first time in India. The metro ran under the river Hoogly from Kolkata to Howrah with officials and engineers onboardHoogly from Kolkata to Howrah. Sharing the achievement by the rail corporation on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it "an encouraging trend for public transport in India." The PM also shared a video originally posted by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
After the trials, the officials said that the underwater metro was a 'revolutionary step' in providing modern transport to the citizens in Kolkata. At the time of the trials, another rake of the train also reached the Howrah Maidan station using the same route. It is to be noted that the trial runs for the next stretch of the Kolkata Metro (Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Station) will be conducted in the coming 5-7 months, following which the services of the metro will commence.
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Howrah Maidan will be the country's deepest Metro stop, 33 metres below the surface, once this stretch is fully operational. The tunnel under the river is 32 metres below the water's surface level, and that the Metro is anticipated to travel the 520-meter stretch beneath the Hooghly in 45 seconds.
Great news for Kolkata and an encouraging trend for public transport in India. https://t.co/2Y0jrWEIUX
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 15, 2023
Between Sealdah and Sector V stations, the East-West Metro corridor that connects Howrah Maidan and Sector V, Salt Lake City's information technology core, is partially operating.
10.8 km of the 16.6 km of the East-West Metro are subterranean, travelling beneath the Hooghly River between Howrah Maidan and Phoolbagan; the remaining kilometres are elevated, with the East-West Metro corridor's operating company.
When the underwater Kolkata Metro begins operations, the city will join the likes of London, Shanghai, New York, Paris, and Cairo, which have operational underwater metro services under the Thames, Huangpu, Hudson, Seine, and the Nile.
