Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached West Bengal, boarded India’s first underwater metro rail in Kolkata. During this he interacted with the students. The underwater metro tunnel is a spectacular feat of engineering, spanning 16.6 kilometers beneath the Hooghly River. The underwater metro will connect Howrah on the west bank of Hooghly to Salt Lake city on the east coast. It will have 6 stations, out of which three are underground. After the inauguration by PM Modi, the general public will be able to enjoy the underwater metro.
1 – Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro is very special, because in this section the train will run under water. Howrah Metro station is also the deepest station in India. 2- Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section is built under the Hooghly River, Howrah and Salt Lake cities are located on the East and West banks of the Hooghly River. 3- In April 2023, Kolkata Metro created history by running a train through the tunnel under the Hooghly River as a trial, which happened for the first time in India.
4- This section is 4.8 kilometers long which will connect Howrah Maidan to Esplanade. In this section, Howrah Maidan will be connected to Salt Lake Sector V under the East-West Metro Corridor. 5- Officials have expressed hope that this metro will cover a distance of 520 meters under the Hooghly river in just 45 seconds. 6- The portion of East-West Alignment between Esplanade and Sealdah is still under construction. However, the stretch from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah is already in use.
7- Metro will run through Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system. This means that after the metro driver presses a button, the train will automatically reach the next station. 8- Out of the total 16.6 kilometers of East-West Metro, 10.8 kilometers is underground, which also includes the tunnel under the Hooghly River. The remaining part is above ground. 9- Kolkata Metro aims to start commercial operations on the entire East-West route between Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah Maidan around June or July.
10- According to officials, people will also get 5G internet facility in the underwater metro. It has also been said that not even a drop of water can enter the tunnel.