Kolkata Metro

Early attempts In the September 1919 session of the Imperial Legislative Council at Shimla, a committee was set up by W. E. Crum that recommended a metro line for Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). All the reports can be found in his 1921 book Calcutta Tube Railways. However, in 1923, the proposal was not undertaken due to a lack of funds. Planning Then the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy, reconceived the idea of an underground railway for Kolkata from 1949 to 1950. A team of French experts conducted a survey, but nothing concrete materialized. Efforts to solve the traffic problem by augmenting the existing fleet of public transport vehicles hardly helped, since roads accounted for only 4.2 percent of the surface area in Kolkata, compared with 25 percent in Delhi and 30 percent in other cities. To find alternative solutions, the Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP) was set up in 1969. The MTP, with the help of Soviet specialists, Lenmetroproekt and East German engineers, prepared a master plan to provide five rapid-transit (metro) lines for the city of Kolkata, totaling a length of , in 1971. Three were selected for construction. These were: • Dum Dum – Tollygunge (Blue Line. Presently operates from Dakshineswar to New Garia) • Bidhannagar – Ramrajatala (Green Line. Presently truncated till Howrah Maidan) • Dakshineswar – Thakurpukur (Divided into Blue Line: Noapara to Dakshineswar and Purple Line: Joka to Eden Gardens) The highest priority was given to the busy north–south corridor between Dum Dum and Tollygunge over a length of ; work on this project was approved on 1 June 1972. A tentative deadline was fixed to complete all the corridors by 1991. Construction North-South Metro Since it was India's first metro and was constructed as a completely indigenous process, a traditional cut-and-cover method and driven shield tunneling was chosen and the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair, in contrast to the Delhi Metro, which saw the involvement of multiple international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct the underground railway. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, on 29 December 1972, and construction work started in 1973–74. Initially, cut and cover along with slurry wall construction to handle soft ground, was recommended by the Soviet Union consultants. Later, in 1977, it was decided to adopt both shield tunneling and cut and cover methods for the construction of underpopulated areas, sewer lines, water mains, electrical cables, telephone cables, tram lines, canals, etc. The technology was provided by M/s NIKEX Hungarian Co., Budapest. In the early days, the project was led by the Union Railway Minister from West Bengal, A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury, often against the prevailing socio-political stance of his contemporaries in the West Bengal government. From the start of construction, the project had to contend with several problems including insufficient funds (until 1977–1978), a shifting of underground utilities, court injunctions, and an irregular supply of vital materials. Despite all the hurdles, services began on 24 October 1984, with the commissioning of a partial commercial service covering a distance of with five stations served between Esplanade and Bhowanipur (currently Netaji Bhavan). The service was quickly followed by commuter services on another stretch in the north between Dum Dum and Belgachhia on 12 November 1984. The commuter service was extended to Tollygunge on 29 April 1986, covering a further distance of , making the service available over a distance of and covering 11 stations. However, the services on the north section were suspended starting 26 October 1992, as this small, isolated section was little used. The Blue Line was almost entirely built by cut and cover method, while a small 1.09 km stretch between Belgachia and Shyambazar was built using shield tunneling with compressed air and air locks, since the alignment crossed a railway yard (now Kolkata railway station) and Circular Canal. After more than eight years, the Belgachhia–Shyambazaar section, along with the Dum Dum–Belgachhia stretch, was opened on 13 August 1994. Another stretch from Esplanade to Chandni Chowk was commissioned shortly afterward, on 2 October 1994. The Shyambazaar-Shobhabazar–Girish Park () and Chandni Chowk–Central () sections were opened on 19 February 1995. Services on the entire stretch of the Metro were introduced from 27 September 1995 by bridging the gap with Mahatma Gandhi Road metro station in the middle. In 1999–2000, the extension of Blue Line along an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to New Garia, with six stations, was sanctioned at a cost of . The section was constructed and opened in two phases, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to Kavi Nazrul in 2009 and Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. In the north, the line was extended till Noapara from Dum Dum on 10 July 2013. The latest extension opened was the stretch from Noapara to Dakshineswar on 23 February 2021. East-West Metro The master plan of the metro corridor was made in 1971 along with the North–South Corridor, connecting the office district of Bidhannagar with the twin city and transportation hub Howrah via another transport hub of the city, Sealdah, and the central business district Esplanade by an underwater metro line. It is a project, sanctioned in 2008 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The foundation stone was laid on 22 February 2009 and construction started in March 2009. The autonomous Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) was formed to implement the project. The Government of India (Ministry of Urban Development) and Government of West Bengal each had a half-share in it. Later, the Government of West Bengal pulled out from it, and the shares were transferred to the Ministry of Railways. The realignment led to many other issues and delays. Some of the biggest issues were the H-piles under the Esplanade metro station and the Bowbazar mishap. Per the 1971 master plan, the East-West Corridor was supposed to pass under Central metro station, so the square foundational beams in Esplanade were not removed. Since the tunnel boring machines cannot cut through steel, another small tunnel was dug using New Austrian tunneling method (NATM) and the H-piles were cut manually. This extended the tunneling process by one and a half months. In September 2019, during the construction of the eastbound tunnel (from Esplanade to Sealdah), a machine hit an aquifer under Bowbazar, causing a major collapse in the area, delaying work in that section for several months. Around 80 houses were damaged and many buildings were declared unsafe, affecting more than 600 people. Later subsidence in the area was checked using grouting. Expansion planning By 2011–2012, the Railway Ministry had announced plans for the construction of five new metro lines and an extension of the existing north–south corridor. These were: • Salt Lake – Howrah Maidan (Green Line or East–West Metro Corridor) • Joka – B.B.D. Bagh (Purple Line. To be extended till Eden Gardens) • Noapara – Barasat (Yellow Line, via airport) • Baranagar – Barrackpore (Pink Line) • New Garia – Dum Dum Airport (Orange Line) Major modification and interchanges A new four-platform interchange station was constructed at Noapara and Kavi Subhash. This acts as an interchange station for Blue Line with Yellow Line and Orange Line respectively. After opening of Yellow Line, all four platforms are now operational, whereas, from 6 March 2024, all four platforms of Kavi Subhash were in operation, until 28 July 2025, when the Blue Line platforms were temporarily closed for reconstruction. on 31st March, 2025. The existing Esplanade metro station was upgraded and a subway was constructed to the new metro station to provide an interchange among Blue Line, Green Line and future Purple Line. Additional interchanges were built at Salt Lake Sector-V (green line)-IT Centre (orange line) and Jai Hind (Yellow line-Orange line) metro stations. In 2009–2010, Blue Line underwent upgrades of services and amenities and many stations were renamed after famous personalities by then Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee. Interchanges Salt Lake Sector V It Centre metro station 01.jpg|Salt Lake Sector-V (Green)-IT Centre (Orange) Kavi Subhash metro station during Hemanta Mukhopadhyay metro station to Netaji Bhavan metro journey 24.jpg|Kavi Subhash (Blue-Orange) Noapara metro station platforms 04.jpg|Noapara (Blue-Yellow) Esplanade metro station pics 10.jpg|Esplanade (Blue-Green) Jai Hind Metro Station (Nov 2024-Apr 2025) time lapse pics 30.jpg|Jai Hind (Yellow-Orange) == Network ==

Summary Lines Blue Line Blue Line has a total length of serving 26 Kolkata Metro stations, of which 15 are underground, 9 are elevated and 2 at-grade. It uses the broad gauge tracks. It was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first trains running in October 1984 and the full stretch that had been initially planned completed and operational by February 1995. The southward extension of the Blue Line to an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to New Garia was constructed and opened in two phases, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to Kavi Nazrul in 2009 and Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. Another extension constructed was the elevated corridor from Dum Dum to Noapara in 2013. The last extension from Noapara to Dakshineswar opened in 2021, thus completing the Blue line. A northward extension from Dum Dum to Dakshineswar () was sanctioned and included in the 2010–2011 budget at a cost of . The commercial operations for Dum Dum to Noapara () were commissioned in March 2013, and construction from Noapara to Dakshineswar with an interchange with Pink Line at Baranagar () is being executed by RVNL. This section is opened on 23 February 2021 for general public. An upgrade of the existing signaling system from Indian Railways Signalling to Communication Based Train Control was proposed by Metro Railway, Kolkata, at a cost of , and was sent to Indian Railways. Work is also ongoing to upgrade its old stainless steel third rail to more modern and sustainable aluminium third rail. This could help reduce energy loss by about 84% and solve the problem of voltage drops. This also decrease the time interval between trains to just 90 seconds from 5 minutes. Indian Railways approved the proposal, installation work of Communication Based Train Control signal is expected to be started after conversation of third rail (which is expected to be completed within 2 years) and will be completed within 2–3 years. On July 28, 2025, cracks were detected in the last four columns of the Line-1 Up platform at Kavi Subhash station. So, the Line-1 platforms of the station were closed to passengers as a safety measure and the trains are being terminated Shahid Khudiram station. However, the empty rakes would continue to run up to the station for reversal and maintenance at its depot. On investigation, it was found that the damage on the columns supporting the platforms were weakened beyond repair. So, Metro Authorities decided to raze the entire Line-1 complex of the station (keeping the tracks intact) and rebuild it. E-tenders were floated and the work is expected to be completed within ten months. Green Line Green Line, is the metro corridor to connect Kolkata with Howrah by an underwater tunnel below the Hooghly River. The length was supposed to be , underground and elevated. However, the project was stalled several times due to land acquisition and slum relocation issues. A major route realignment in 2013 increased the length to . The elevated stretch is long while the underground stretch is . The planned intersection with the Blue Line at Central was re-aligned to Esplanade (interchanges with Blue Line and Purple Line). In September 2019, during the construction of the eastbound tunnel between Sealdah metro station and Esplanade metro station, a tunnel boring machine hit an aquifer at Bowbazar, causing a major collapse in the area, delaying work on that section for several months. These issues have caused massive delays to the project, and foreign currency losses had led to an 80 percent cost escalation of the project to nearly . Between Mahakaran and Howrah, the metro runs under the Hooghly River– the biggest and the only underwater metro tunnel in India. From Teghoria, passengers can take the Orange Line metro. Services were extended on 4 October 2020 to Phoolbagan metro station, the first underground station of the line. The extension added to the existing line. On July 11, 2022, this line was extended till Sealdah. On 6 March 2024, the Esplanade - Howrah Maidan section was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaving only 2.9 km between the two functional stations to be joined. On 13 January 2025, the remaining 2.9 km between the two functional stations, Esplanade and Sealdah were successfully connected; but the separate signalling systems for the two operating parts of the line had not been unified. With the whole connection open for traffic, the travel time between the two railway stations was brought down to just 11 minutes. The remaining Sealdah–Esplanade stretch opened on 22 August 2025. Purple Line Previously, the stretch from Thakurpukur to Majerhat was surveyed as a branch line of the circular railway, and a metro line from Majerhat to Dakshineswar via Sealdah (interchange with Green Line) was planned. and objections from the Ministry of Defence, construction has been delayed several times since the beginning. Defence Ministry objected that the elevated corridor would overlook the Eastern Command headquarters at Fort William, Ordinance Depot at Mominpore. The change in alignment from elevated to underground increased the construction cost of the stretch from to . The work resumed in several phases and new bids were invited by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) in April 2020. It is India's first metro line to run on indigenous head hardened rails, manufactured by Jindal Steel & Power. The extension of this line to IIM and Diamond Park for was sanctioned in the 2012–2013 Budget at a cost of . The work is being executed by RVNL. But, after a year Defence Ministry approved the Mominpur metro station in its original location as the change in alignment would have delayed the project and budget overrun. It will be the last elevated station of the corridor. Now, the proposed underground Khidirpur metro station is planned at the Alipore Bodyguard Lines. There were also hurdles regarding clearance for tunneling under defence lands. Subsequently, in March 2025 railways sanctioned for the extension. Yellow Line The work of integrating the Circular Railway from Dum Dum Cantonment to Biman Bandar into a new metro line from Noapara to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport was sanctioned in the 2010–2011 budget. Due to multiple delays and hurdles, the total cost of the project had grown to . Following an objection from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the route was further reworked. Instead of using the Circular Line's Jessore Road and Biman Bandar railway station, Jessore Road and Jai Hind metro station were planned at-grade and underground, respectively. This stretch will continue underground till Barasat after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's approval which was till New Barrackpore earlier. As of 2024, the construction work has started from the airport to New Barrackpore underground link, and the bidding for the New Barrackpore to Barasat line extension is expected to start. The first phase of work from Noapara to Jai Hind opened on 22 August 2025. To avoid this, another proposal was made to continue this line through the Kalyani Expressway. Eleven metro stations were planned on this route. Orange Line A connection between New Garia and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport () The link between Kavi Subhash and Jai Hind, to be set up at a cost of , will have 24 stations with the terminal Jai Hind metro station being an underground one. The work is executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. Jai Hind metro station will also have a stabling yard, and will be the largest underground facility in the country. This line will have interchanges at Kavi Subhash (with Blue line); Salt Lake Sector V (with Green line) and Teghoria/VIP Road (again with Green line). Initially, the Jai Hind metro station was planned to be elevated. However, the AAI objected that the elevated stretch up to the airport might pose a threat to aircraft, so the route was further reworked and the station was shifted underground, 150 m from the Airport terminal building. As per another revised plan, this line will continue till Barasat and the Yellow line would terminate at Jai Hind. There are also possibilities that Jai Hind metro station would serve as a junction of three lines, i.e. Noapara–Jai Hind, Kavi Subhash–Jai Hind, and Jai Hind–Barasat. • Majerhat to Ruby via Kalighat and Ballygunge • Basirhat to Tollygunge • New Garia to Haroa via Bhangar • Joka to Mahanayak Uttam Kumar via Thakurpukur • New Garia to Canning via Baruipur along with EM Bypass • Joka to Diamond Harbour along Diamond Harbour Road (Purple Line extension) • Barasat to Barrackpore via SH-2 (Yellow Line extension) • Barrackpore to Kalyani via Kalyani Expressway (Yellow Line/ Pink Line extension) • Madhyamgram to Barrackpore via Sodepur Road and Kalyani Expressway • Branch line of Green Line from Karunamoyee to Kolkata station • Howrah Maidan – Shalimar – Santragachi (Green Line extension) • Santragachi to Dhulagarh (Green Line extension) • Howrah Maidan to Dankuni via Ichapur Road and Benaras Road • Howrah Maidan to Srirampore and Chandannagar via Dankuni, National Highway 2 • Howrah Maidan to Belur == Owners and operators ==

Since the formation of the Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP) in 1969, Kolkata Metro has always been under the Indian Railways, directly or indirectly. It is the only metro in the country to be controlled by Indian Railways. On 29 December 2010, Metro Railway, Kolkata, became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways, completely owned and funded by the Ministry of Railways. Although Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation was formed with 50-50 shares of the Government of West Bengal and the Government of India, as the implementing agency of the East–West Corridor, later majority shares were transferred to Indian Railways. In July 2019, the operation of Green line was handed over to Metro Railway, Kolkata. == Services ==

Operations Originally, There are a total of 358 services every day. But, the services and timings were changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as of November 2024, it operates between 06:50 and 22:40 IST. Trains operate at an average speed of and stop for about 10 to 20 seconds at each station, depending on the crowd. All stations have display boards showing the terminating station, current time, scheduled time of arrival and estimated time of arrival of trains in Bengali, Hindi and English. Digital countdown clocks are also present in the stations. The coaches of blue and green line have line route-maps and all line have speakers and displays, which provide details of upcoming stations in the three languages. Navigation information is available on Google Maps. Kolkata Metro has launched its own official mobile app 'Amar Kolkata Metro' (initially released as 'Metro Ride Kolkata') for android & iOS smartphone users which provides information regarding station, train timing, fare and has online smart card recharge facility along with mobile QR code ticketing. Station premises Most stations have ticket counters and installed ATMs. Some stations have food outlets, and chemist stalls. To ease crowding for recharging smart cards, Automatic Card recharge machines are installed. On account of the Swacchota–i–Seba (in English, Cleanliness is service), a nationwide awareness and mobilization campaign on cleanliness, plastic bottle crushers were placed at multiple stations. Fare The fare is based on the predetermined distance formulas. Kolkata Metro has the lowest starting fare in the country of . Blue Line Other Lines Ticketing system Kolkata meto uses AFC gates for fare collection monitoring entry and exits. Commuters can enter the metro station and travel through three ways: • Paper QR code: Paper QR code ticketing system is used on all five operational lines: Blue Line, Green Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line and Purple Line. • Mobile QR code: Commuters can opt for mobile QR code tickets via the "Aamar Kolkata Metro app" (formerly "Metro Ride Kolkata", which is available on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store). This system allows commuters to purchase and use mobile QR code tickets online for seamless travel. Tickets for multiple people can be purchased on a single device. Users have to scan the QR code each time to let one member pass in multi user tickets. Users have the option to take a screenshot of the QR code ticket for easy access during travel. • Smart card: Smart Cards are provided by Kolkata metro, which are helpful for daily commuters. Online smart card recharge facility was launched on 1 July 2020. These smart cards are not required to be submitted to the AFC gates at the arriving station and are to be carried by the passengers. These cards are required to be recharged if the previously recharged money is already spent. Recharge can be done by "Aamar metro" app or at any Add Value Machine (AVM) located in metro stations. Two new types of Tourist Smart Cards were also introduced (Tourist Smart Card – I and Tourist Smart Card – II). This type of smart card is for tourists and has unlimited rides. They cost , valid for a day and , valid for three days. A security deposit of is also charged. Durga Puja special services The metro railway runs special night-long services during Durga Puja (Maha Saptami to Maha Navami) to help people travel faster and more conveniently for pandal-hopping. The services start at 13:00 and operate till 04:00 the next day. Pre-puja services are also run. Security All stations are equipped with closed-circuit cameras, metal detectors and baggage scanners. The Railway Protection Force provides security on the premises. Smoking is strictly prohibited in the metro premises. All stations in the Green Line have half-height and full-height platform screen doors for elevated and underground stations, respectively. Instead, certain sections of seats in each compartment are reserved for women, senior citizens and the physically challenged. The four-seat sections at each end of a coach are reserved for senior citizens and the physically challenged, and the two middle seat sections, between the general seat sections on each side, are reserved for women. Other facilities All stations have televisions that broadcast news and songs. WiFi was introduced at Park Street and Maidan metro station in 2016. Gradually, it was expanded to all the stations. The service is provided by Reliance Jio. == Ridership ==

Kolkata Metro is the 4th busiest metro system in India as of 2024. 2,465 people travel by every Metro train in Kolkata against 1,110 in Delhi metro. Kolkata Metro carries around 700,000 people daily. The daily and annual ridership has consistently risen since 1984. Low fares and fast and convenient travel have contributed to the high ridership figures. During the 2019 Durga Puja, there was a record ridership of . == Infrastructure ==

Rolling stock BHEL rakes. These are operational only in Blue and Yellow lines since 2010 & 2025. \MEDHA rakes. These are operational in Blue line since 2019 and Yellow, Purple and Orange line since their inauguration. rakes. These are operational only in Blue line and Yellow since 2023 & 2025.|247x247px rake operational only in Green line since 2020. Kolkata Metro rolling stock consists of five main classes spread across its different lines, all powered by 750 V DC third-rail electrification. The Blue, Purple, Orange, and Yellow Lines run on broad gauge while the Green Line uses standard gauge. Early non-AC rakes (1000 and 2000 series) have been retired, replaced by modern AC stock. The ICF/BHEL 3000 series remains in service, while the ICF/MEDHA 4000 series introduced stainless steel bodies and regenerative braking, serving multiple lines. CRRC Dalian trains (MR-50) from China is used in the Blue and Yellow Lines. On the Green Line, BEML RS-3R rakes run on standard gauge with 6-coach formations. Many of the newer trains support both CBTC and older signalling systems. Depots and yards There are 5 operational depots now. The Noapara, Tollygunge and New Garia depots serve the Blue Line, the New Garia depot also serve the Orange Line, while the Central Park depot serves the Green Line and the Joka depot serves the Purple Line. A depot at New Town for Orange Line is under construction. An underground yard was made at Airport. Stations and electrification As of 2025, Kolkata metro has the deepest metro station and largest underground metro station in India. Howrah metro station of Green Line is the deepest metro station in India with depth of . Also at the time of inauguration, it was the largest metro station of India. The average length between any two stations is . The shortest distance is between Central and Chandni Chowk, and the longest distance is between Sealdah and Esplanade. Since the Kolkata Metro has electrification, electricity substations were built in Jatin Das Park, Central and Shyambazar. A Train Describer System and Auto Train Charting are utilized to assist the operation control center in monitoring and planning train movements in real-time. An Integrated Power Supply System and microprocessor-based Data Logger System have also been provided. An integrated system of STM-1 and STM-4 optical fibre cable is used for all telecommunication, signaling, SCADA and other circuits in Blue line. The service is provided by RailTel. An upgrade of the existing signaling system of the Blue Line from Indian Railways signalling to Communications-based train control (CBTC) was planned by Metro Railway, Kolkata at and the proposal was sent to Indian Railways, so that time interval between trains can be decreased to just 90 seconds from 5 minutes. In August 2019, Indian Railways gave the go-ahead to the proposal, and installation work is supposed to be complete within 2–3 years. Purple and Orange Line CBTC system on Purple and Orange Lines are currently in activated mode. Yellow Line Indian railways signalling system, Kavach with ATP and ATO, is planned to be used on Yellow Line. Public address system PA systems are present at all stations and their premises. A station master can make a necessary announcement to the passengers and staff, overriding the ongoing local announcement. Train PA systems are controlled by the motormen for announcements to passengers on the particular train. == Issues ==

Since the Kolkata Metro was constructed in the 1970s, there were some technical limitations. Due to the tunnel dimensions, and being under Indian Railways, Kolkata Metro opted for an Indian metre gauge shell (2.7 m width) mounted upon broad gauge bogies. The rakes have to be custom built and require a special assembly line involving additional costs thus limiting the options for rake manufacturers for Blue Line. From its inception, the coaches were manufactured by ICF, which lacked the prerequisite knowledge for manufactured non-air-conditioning rakes. The 3000 and 4000 series rakes were faulty and delivered without any trials. In addition, Indian Railways signaling is used instead of European signaling. All of these factors have led to snags, delays, and accidents. Unlike Delhi Metro, Kolkata Metro is owned and operated by Indian Railways instead of an autonomous body, and it relies solely on Indian Railways for every decision, from funding to route realignment. Underground tunnels In densely populated areas, there are no free spaces left to build elevated metro tracks and stations. As a result, underground systems are constructed in these areas. However, the construction of an underground metro tunnel in the Bowbazar area has caused cracks in the houses of many residents. Consequently, the metro authority had to evacuate the people, leading to massive delays and slow development in the construction of the metro railway in that area. == See also ==