Kolkata Metro sets new deadline to launch Biman Bandar-Kavi Subhash Metro line by 2025

(Representative Image)

Kolkata, India (Metro Rail Today): In a significant development, Metro Railway Kolkata has announced a December 2025 deadline for the commissioning of the Airport Metro corridor. The announcement was made by Metro Railway General Manager, P Uday Kumar Reddy, after conducting a thorough inspection of the 32km corridor alignment from New Garia to Kolkata Airport.

The ambitious project, known as the "Orange Line," is set to bring transformative changes to Kolkata's urban transportation landscape. Reddy unveiled the timeline for key milestones, with the Metropolitan on EM Bypass expected to be reached by December this year, followed by Sector V in June 2024, and City Centre II in December 2024. Notably, there's a change in plan for the ready-to-launch 5km Ruby stretch. Instead of the previously proposed one-train-only system without signals, the stretch will now operate with electronic interlocking (EI) signaling, targeted to be operational by December.

The timelines set forth by the General Manager take into account the practical challenges faced by Kolkata's longest Metro corridor, which has encountered cost and time overruns since its inception in 2011 due to land logjams. The journey spans from the terminal Kavi Subhas Metro station in New Garia, covering stretches on EM Bypass, Salt Lake Bypass, New Town, and VIP Road, concluding at the airport station.

Reddy emphasized the goal of opening the airport Metro station by December 2025, and possibly even by June 2026. The station, situated approximately 150m from the main NSB Airport block, is expected to become India's largest underground Metro facility, linking three critical corridors: New Garia-airport, Noapara-airport, and airport-Barasat.

The plans for the truncated 5km New Garia-Ruby section have also evolved. The decision to incorporate electronic interlocking (EI) signaling stems from a desire for greater operational efficiency. Reddy pointed out that running the line on a one-train-only system, with 60-minute intervals between trains and no signals, was impractical.

Metro Railway's dedicated efforts, combined with collaboration from stakeholders including government bodies and private companies, continue to drive the progress of this transformative project. Principal Chief Engineer V K Srivastava, KMRC MD V K Srivastava, RVNL Executive Director A K Roy, and Metro's Chief Electrical Engineer Asim Majumdar are among those leading the way.

As the project moves forward, the 7km Noapara-airport line is expected to be completed by December 2024. The General Manager's visits to Tagore Park and Metropolitan, where traffic trials are underway, signal the concerted efforts to bridge the Orange line's key gaps.

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