East-West Metro to run between Sec-V & Salt Lake stadium in Oct

Kolkata: If things go as per plans, East-West metro will run between Sector V and Salt Lake stadium in October.

The maiden run is likely to be held on October 2, which is the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.

Babul Supriyo, Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises visited the spot on Monday and expressed his satisfaction over the progress of work. The East-West Metro Project had received the Centre's clearance

in 2008.

A state of the art technology will be in the East-West metro and no driver will be required to operate the train.

The coaches have arrived from Bengaluru on Saturday. The coaches are wider than the usual metro coaches and have better facilities for passengers. The vestibule between two compartments are wider as well.

Longer handles have been used to help women. Wheel chair bound people can use the train and special arrangements are made to help them to board the train and get out of the compartments. Every compartment will have CCTV cameras. The compartments have arrived in the city by road. The trial run will be held in the end of April and it will continue for three months.

The unique feature of the train is that an underground tunnel has been constructed below river Hooghly for its running. The tunnel is ready and senior officers of the Kolkata Metro rail Corporation (KMRCL) have inspected the site.

Kolkata is the first city to have an underground transportation tunnel. It may be mentioned that Kolkata was the first city to have a metro rail which was inaugurated in 1984.

The project was taken up in 1971 during the time of Indira Gandhi.

The full length of East West metro will cover Howrah M aidan and Sector V, which is around a distance of 16.6 km and is likely to be inaugurated by 2021. Metro from Sector V to Phoolbagan is likely to be opened by 2019.

The construction work has been divided into four phases.

The first phase is between Sector V and Salt Lake stadium while the second phase is between stadium and Phool bagan and the third phase is between Phoolbagan and sealdah and the fourth phase is between Sealdah and Howrah Maidan.

There will six elevated and six underground stations. In the first three phases, there will be six elevated and two underground stations while in phase IV, all the stations will be underground.