#kolkatametro #metrotrain #rail #tunnel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India's first underwater metro service in Kolkata on Wednesday. The metro tunnel, beneath the mighty Hooghly River, is a remarkable feat of engineering that spans a distance of 16.6 kilometers. The underwater metro will connect Howrah and Salt Lake, and will have six stations, three of which are underground.
The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section with the first transportation tunnel "under any mighty river in India" will have the deepest Metro station in India at the Howrah Metro station.
In April last year, Kolkata Metro's rakes completed a trial journey under the bed of river Hooghly through a tunnel 32 metres below water level for the first time in India. "Although the inauguration will take place tomorrow, the passenger services will begin at a later date," CPRO Metro Railways Kaushik Mitra.
The 4.8-kilometer stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade forms a vital segment of the East-West Metro corridor, connecting key areas like the IT hub Salt Lake Sector V. Of the total 16.6 kilometres of the East-West Metro, 10.8 kilometres consist of an underground corridor, including the groundbreaking tunnel beneath the Hooghly River.