India’s first underwater metro to become operation by December 2023

Tags: National Economy/Finance State News

According to the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, India's first underwater metro service, the East-West Metro Corridor project is expected to be completed by December 2023.

The metro line, which will connect Salt Lake to Howrah via Kolkata with a stretch below the Hooghly River, is currently operational between Sector V and Sealdah stations.

Of the total 16.55 km length of the project, 9.30 km length between Sector V and Sealdah is operational. The remaining 7.25 km length is likely to be operational by December 2023. 

The twin tunnel down the Hooghly River will be around half a kilometer which will be covered in less than a minute by the metro train.

The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation is a Government of India company which is implementing the East- West Metro Corridor project.

The first metro rail system in India was also started in Kolkata from Dum Dum to Tollygunge in 1984.

Metro Rail system   

• The first metro rail system in the world was started in London on 10 January 1863.
• First metro in India; Kolkata Metro which started its operation 24 October 1984 between Dum Dam to Tollygunge. It was started with the help of the Soviet Union. 
• Largest metro rail in operation in India: Delhi Metro (390.14 km: Source DMRC as on 7 March 2022). It started operation on 24 December 2002.
• Smallest Metro: Ahmedabad metro ,6 km
• The metro rail systems in operation in India are in the cities of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Kochi Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Noida, and Pune. (total 15 cities )