"520 Metres In 45 Seconds": All About India's 1st Underwater Metro

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the country's first-ever underwater metro, the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro section in Kolkata today. The inauguration event is expected to be grand, attended by several dignitaries and officials. The metro service will open to the public after the inauguration.

5 Facts about Kolkata's New Underwater Metro:

1. Kolkata's new underwater metro is 16.6 km long. About 10.8 km runs underground from Howrah Maidan to Phoolbagan, including the tunnel under the Hooghly River, making it the deepest in the country. The rest is above ground.
2. Stretching over 4.8 km, one section connects Howrah and Salt Lake, providing a vital link between these twin cities. 
3. The underwater metro has six stations, with three of them underground.
4. The metro covers a 520 m river stretch in just 45 seconds, promising a quick and efficient mode of transportation.
5. The train uses Automatic Train Operation (ATO), a cutting-edge system where the train advances to the next station when the motorman presses a button. 

The ticket prices for the underwater metro start at just Rs 5 for the first two km. Then, it goes up in easy tiers of Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 15, Rs 20, Rs 25, and so on - reaching a maximum of Rs 50. 

While the part between Esplanade and Sealdah is still under construction, the operational stretch from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah is up and running. Kolkata Metro plans to start the full East-West route between Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah Maidan in June or July.

In April 2023, the Kolkata Metro made history by running a train successfully through the tunnel beneath the Hooghly River. 

Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Taratala-Majerhat metro sections in Kolkata after this.