Railway minister invites Mamata to PM’s inauguration of 3 Kolkata Metro Sections on August 22

Kolkata: Union Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has formally invited West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to attend the inauguration of three long-awaited stretches of the Kolkata Metro, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off on August 22.

In his letter to the CM, Vaishnaw said that the the PM will inaugurate the final 2.6km Esplanade–Sealdah link of the East-West Metro (Green Line), which will finally unify the two disconnected stretches of the corridor.

He will also flag off services on the Noapara–Jai Hind (Bimanbandar) section of the Yellow Line, the Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay stretch of the Orange Line, and a subway at Howrah Metro station. Banerjee has been requested to join the programme at Jessore Road Metro station.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has carried out the final inspection of the Dum Dum Cantonment–Jai Hind Bimanbandar (Airport) section of the Yellow Line, a prerequisite for opening any metro section for passenger service.

Sumeet Singhal, CRS of the North Frontier Circle, conducted detailed checks of the tracks, trains and emergency systems, along with a trolley inspection from Dum Dum Cantonment to the airport terminal.

A speed trial between Jai Hind Bimanbandar and Noapara was also completed in his presence.