India's first underwater metro
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first underwater metro in Kolkata. This metro will pass through a tunnel built in the Hooghly river. The underwater tunnel is part of the Kolkata Metro extension project, which will connect Salt Lake to Howrah via Kolkata with a section under the Hooghly River. The underwater metro is part of the East-West Metro Corridor. The lower part of the newly constructed tunnel is 26 meters above the river surface. Trains will run 16 meters below the river level. This will be India's first transport project where a metro train will run under a river.
Important facts about India's first underwater metro
- The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section (East West Metro Corridor) has the first transport tunnel under any mighty river in India.
- It passes under the Hooghly River, on whose eastern and western banks are located the cities of Kolkata and Howrah respectively.
- The 4.8 km stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade is the second section of the East-West Metro Corridor between Howrah Maidan and IT hub Salt Lake Sector V.
Of the total 16.6 km length of the East-West Metro, the underground corridor is 10.8 km between Howrah Maidan and Phoolbagan, with a tunnel under the Hooghly River. - The metro section, which has six stations, three of which are underground, promises better accessibility for commuters, strategically serving busy areas of the city.
- Since the metro train is expected to cover the distance of 520 meters under the river in just 45 seconds, it not only provides speed but also ensures a seamless and time-efficient mode of transportation, thereby improving the connectivity of Kolkata. And urban mobility increases.
- This ambitious project not only addresses transportation needs, but also tackles the long-standing issues of traffic congestion and air pollution in Kolkata, promising a greener, more efficient urban environment.
Work on the East-West Corridor began in 2009 and work on tunneling under the Hooghly began in 2017. The project was delayed due to the bursting of an aquifer in Bowbazar, central Kolkata on August 31, 2019. This resulted in severe ground subsidence, collapse of many buildings and two more incidents of collapse of buildings and water leakage at the same location in 2022 during tunneling and construction work.