The trial run of two six coach train of Kolkata Metro under the Hooghly river’s underwater tunnel will start on April 9, 2023. This will be India’s first-ever underwater section, and part of the Kolkata East-West Metro Project. The East-West corridor linking Howrah Maidan and Sector V in Salt Lake is partially operational between Sector V and Sealdah.
The trial run will be carried out on the 4.8-km stretch between Esplanade and Howrah Maidan. The Sector V to Sealdah section is already operational. However, the section between Sealdah and Esplanade witnessed delays. As per Metro officials, the trail run on April 9, 2023 between Salt Lake and Howrah will successfully pass through the Sealdah and Esplanade tunnel. Track laying works between this stretch is incomplete, but the gaps have been bridged by laying temporary tracks for the transportation of the two trial trains, according to media reports.
See also: Metro Route in Kolkata: East-West Metro Route Map Details
Further, as per the reports, the trains will operate normally till the Sealdah station, but they will be pushed by battery-powered loco from Sealdah to Esplanade,. They will function normally from Esplanade to Howrah. The battery-powered loco will be used as it still lacks electrified third rails.
The date of commencement of commercial operations on the route will depend on the success of the test runs. The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRCL) had earlier announced that the country’s first underwater metro service on the East-West Metro Corridor project is expected to be completed by December 2023.
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you. Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |
