Kolkata metro rail successfully test runs below Hooghly riverbed
Underwater metro has run for the first time in India. The train reached Howrah from Kolkata via the Hooghly riverbed in West Bengal on Wednesday. Metro Rail GM P Udaya Kumar Reddy traveled between Mahakaran to Howrah Maidan in this train. The train crossed the Hooghly River at 11.55 a.m. during the day.
The underwater metro train being tested in Kolkata connects Esplanade on the east bank of the Hooghly River and Howrah Maidan on the west bank. Howrah Metro Station is 33 meters below the ground and it is the deepest metro station in the country.
Built in 520 meter twin tunnels under the Hooghly River, this underwater train track is 4.8 kilometers long. About 120 crore rupees have been spent in making this metro tunnel. Work on this was going on for the last one year. The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) is waiting for the completion of the 2.5-km track between Sealdah and Esplanade, only after which regular trains will be started on it.
6 coach metro
Officials of Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) have informed that 2 trains will run on trial from Salt Lake Depot of Metro Rail to Esplanade via East Bond Tunnel between Esplanade and Sealdah, which will currently have 6 coaches. Metro Rail General Manager P Udaya Kumar Reddy traveled in the underwater train. Other officers were also with him. Reddy said that the trial will be done for the next few months.
Battery operated engine
Trains from Sealdah to Esplanade will be run by battery engines as electrification has not been done on the tracks. Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) has told that the train will start running regularly in the next few months. With this, India will also join the list of countries where metro trains run under water.
The country’s first metro ran in Kolkata
Kolkata also holds the distinction of having the first metro in India. Metro services in the city were started way back in 1984. After this, the second metro was run in Delhi in the year 2002. Now metro service has started in many cities.
India’s first underwater metro train is being run on the lines of London-Paris. This underwater metro is being compared to London’s Eurostar, which connects London and Paris with an underwater rail link.
