- Monday, February 24, 2025
The section of the tunnel running under the Hooghly river, a tributary of the Ganges, is 520 metres long, and a train will take around 45 seconds to cross it.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (6) inaugurated several metro railway projects across the country, including its first underwater metro route in the eastern city of Kolkata.
The capital of the state of West Bengal is the first in India where the metro railway started running in 1984.
The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro’s East-West Corridor, which has the first transportation tunnel “under any mighty river in India”, was inaugurated by Modi.
The stretch also has the deepest metro station in the country — the Howrah metro station.
India unveils its inaugural underwater metro in #Kolkata, connecting Howrah and Salt Lake. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates this groundbreaking project, featuring six stations, including three underground ones. #UnderwaterMetro #CylinderBlast pic.twitter.com/DvFOwUYcWT
— The Strategic OverWatch (@str_overwatch) March 6, 2024
After the inauguration programme, Modi took a metro ride from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan along with school children. He also interacted with them.
He also tweeted about the inauguration ceremony, saying in Bengali, “Memorable moment by Kolkata Metro. I bow down to the power of the people and serve them with renewed vigor.”
কলকাতা মেট্রোর পক্ষ থেকে স্মরণীয় মুহুর্ত। আমি জনশক্তির কাছে মাথা নত করি এবং পুনরুজ্জীবিত প্রাণশক্তি নিয়ে তাঁদের সেবা করে যাব। pic.twitter.com/AS58BJEjNJ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 6, 2024
The section of the tunnel running under the Hooghly river, a tributary of the Ganges, is 520 metres long, and a train will take around 45 seconds to cross it, officials said.
PM Modi also inaugurated a number of sections of the Kolkata metro railway, the network of which has grown bigger over the past few years.
Besides those in Kolkata, Modi also inaugurated the Duhai-Modinagar (North) section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor, Pune Metro’s Ruby Hall Clinic-Ramwadi stretch, Kochi Metro’s SN Junction to Tripunithura section and Agra Metro’s Taj East Gate-Mankameshwar section.
He also laid the foundation stone for the extension of the Pune Metro between Pimpri Chinchwad and Nigdi.
These sections will help decongest road traffic and provide seamless, easy and comfortable connectivity, an official statement said.
