Kolkata Metro Rail gets ₹2,550 crore boost from Union Budget 2023-24

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Kolkata, India (Metro Rail Today): The Finance Ministry has allocated Rs 2,550 crore for Kolkata Metro, the country’s first metro rail network being operated by Indian Railways, in its budget for FY 2023-24. This amount is the highest budgetary allocation for a metro rail project for the FY 2023-24.

The Kolkata Metro has received an outlay of Rs 2,550 crore for two of its projects – Dum Dum airport to New Garia and Joka to Binoy Badal Dinesh (BBD) Bagh. Both projects are being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). 

The Railway Ministry has hiked the allocation for 16.75 km long Joka to BBD Bagh Metro via Majerhat in the financial year 2023-24. An amount of Rs 1,350 crore has been allocated for the purple line. In FY 2022-23, it received an amount of Rs 794 crore only.

At present, the 6.5 km metro line is in operation between Joka to Taratala which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30, 2022, through video conferencing. This stretch has been constructed at a cost of Rs 2,477.25 crore, out of which Rs 635 crore has been done for the Depot at Joka and about Rs 1,600 crore for the viaduct and completion of the station of the section. The construction of the Majerhat metro station is in full swing.

An amount of Rs 1,200 crore has been allocated for Dum Dum airport to New Garia via the Rajarhat metro project in FY 2023-24. In FY 2022-23, it received an allocation of Rs 904 crore only.

Recently, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has conducted a safety inspection on the newly constructed metro line from Kavi Subash (New Garia) to Hemanta Mukherjee (Rubi More) stretch. This 5.4 km section is a part of Kavi Subhash - Dumdum Airport via Rajarhat’s new Metro line (Orange Line). It has been built at a cost of Rs 1,550 crore. 

For more details, please explore the Kolkata Metro page of Metro Rail Today.