India’s first underwater Metro route was inaugurated in Kolkata on Wednesday (March 6, 2024) which will connect city centre Esplanade with Howrah, promising to provide a faster communication alternative to daily commuters in one of the densely populated cities of the country.
Indian PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the new metro route where a stretch of it will pass under the Hooghly River.
PM describes his metro ride as ‘memorable’
The Indian PM, who is eyeing a comeback for the third straight term following the national polls in the coming months, joined some school students to undertake the metro ride.
Following the inauguration, Modi posted on X: “It’s a very special day for the people of Kolkata as the city’s metro network gets significantly enhanced. Connectivity will get a boost and traffic will get decongested. It’s a proud moment that the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro section has the first underwater metro transportation tunnel under any major river in our country.”
Describing his Metro ride as ‘memorable’, he said: “The metro journey was made memorable thanks to the company of these youngsters and those who worked on this project. We also travelled through the tunnel under the Hooghly river.”
Three Metro routes inaugurated
The Prime Minister inaugurated three metro routes in Kolkata.
The routes are Esplanade-Howrah Maidan, Taratala-Majherhat and New Garia-Ruby with the first being an underwater one.
Kolkata and its bond with Metro Rail
Kolkata is also the city where India’s first metro service started way back in 1984.
The section of the tunnel that stretches 520 meters under the Hooghly River will be the main point of interest for both KMRC officials and railway enthusiasts across India.
Once the trains have crossed the river, they will then pass through Howrah station, which is the deepest metro station in the country, located 33 meters below the ground.