Noapara-Jai Hind Metro stretch: Trial runs likely to begin in Dec

Kolkata: The Kolkata Metro Railway has announced that trial runs on the Noapara-Jai Hind (Airport) stretch of the Yellow Line are expected to begin in December, with the segment anticipated to be operational by March 2025. This new stretch will mark the first Metro connectivity to the city’s airport.

Metro Railway authorities confirmed that construction work at Jai Hind station is progressing well. The staircases at the station have been completed and flooring work on platforms number 2 and 3 has also been finished. Additionally, around 250 fire doors are set to be installed by December, while the installation of travelators will commence soon.

On November 26, Devindar Kumar, Chief Engineer (Construction) of Metro Railway, briefed P Uday Kumar Reddy, General Manager (GM) of Metro Railway, on the project’s progress during an inspection of the Jai Hind (Airport) Metro Station. Reddy stressed the importance of meeting the target for the Noapara-Jai Hind stretch’s opening by March 2025.

The construction team assured Reddy that they were ready to begin trial runs in December on the 4 km Dum Dum Cantonment-Jai Hind stretch. Trial runs on the 3 km section between Dum Dum Cantonment and Noapara stations were conducted last year and received clearance for commercial operations from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS).

A Metro Railway spokesperson stated: “He was apprised about the progress of works and the latest status of civil, electrical, as well as signal and telecommunications works of the stretch from Noapara to Jai Hind stations of Yellow Line.”

The 7 km Noapara-Jai Hind stretch is the first phase of the Yellow Line, which will eventually be extended to Barasat.

The GM instructed officials to monitor electrical works more critically, especially those involving supplies from abroad. He also directed civil and electrical officers to complete all firefighting works and apply to state authorities for necessary clearances.