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There is no doubt India is developing day by day at a great speed as on April 9, 2023, Kolkata, the city that received India's first metro in 1984, tested the "nation's first underwater metro". The trial run, which passed via twin under-river tunnels beneath the Hooghly River, spanned a 4.8-kilometer stretch between Esplanade & Howrah Maidan.
According to reports, the two six-coach trains were tested as part of the Kolkata East-West Metro Project. The East-West Metro project, which seeks to connect Sector V in east Kolkata with Howrah Maidan across the river through Sealdah and Esplanade, authorities of Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) described this as a milestone.
On which routes the trials have been done?
Without waiting for the 2.5-kilometer Sealdah-Esplanade portion to be finished, the authorities opted to start their operations. The experiments reportedly took place on the Calcutta Metro's Green Line, a 16.6 kilometre route that crosses the river via Sealdah & Esplanade from Sector V in east Kolkata to Howrah Maidan.
Some Challenges:
Officials said that while some of the lines were already operational, there were delays on the Sealdah-Esplanade segment. Officials felt confident in the mission, therefore two trains were sent for a trial run from the Salt Lake depot towards Howrah Maidan through an eastbound tunnel between Sealdah & Esplanade.
Between Sector V and Sealdah, the segment is already operational. The road between Sealdah and Epsaland, however, is still under construction and certain challenges have existed since 2019. According to reports, two trains would be transported to Howrah Maidan on Sunday using temporary tracks on the unfinished sections between Sealdah and Esplanade.
The trains would run regularly up till Sealdah, the authorities noted, after which they will be propelled by the battery-powered locomotive because the third rails in the unfinished tunnel have not yet been electrified. Then, the trains will run normally from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan.
Expected completion date and project cost:
However, Metro officials disclosed that in the foreground of the testing run, temporary tracks are now being laid. The precise release date for them to the general public is still unknown. Depending on the conditions, the dates may be released following the successful trial run.
By December of this year, it is anticipated to be completely accessible. The underwater train that runs between London and Paris has an identical underwater project. Authorities explained that the price per kilometer for building this underwater metro was INR 157 crores.
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