ICE recognises KMRCL's East West Metro Project

Kolkata: The Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), based in London, UK has recognised Kolkata East West Metro project and selected it as one of the 200 projects across the globe which has significant impact in making people's life better.

"It is a unique international acknowledgement for this project amongst a handful of projects picked from India. The recognition will definitely boost the morale of projecting to strive harder to achieve the desired project goal to provide international standard transportation system for the people of this region," a senior official of Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Ltd (KMRCL) that is executing the project said.

The ambitious project will connect the eastern part of Kolkata to the west, a 17-km stretch across the Hooghly river. To be carried out in two phases, the East-West Metro will connect the IT hub of Sector V to Howrah, Kolkata's twin city. The trial runs for the first phase of the East-West Metro project will begin in December, while commercial operations are scheduled from June 2018. The second phase is expected to begin commercial operations by December 2020.

KMRCL had in February placed orders for 14 rakes (cars), each having six coaches, to State-run BEML. The rakes will start coming within a few days.