Phase I of Kolkata's East-West Metro to open in October: Babul

Kolkata:Services of the first phase of East-West Metro from Salt Lake Sector V to Salt Lake Stadium in the city are expected to commence before Durga Puja in October 2018, Union Minister Babul Supriyo said here on Monday.

Supriyo, Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, visited the country's first under-river (Hooghly) tunnel of East-West Metro on Monday and took stock of the progress of the ongoing project.

"The project is progressing as scheduled and we aspire to open this for the people of Kolkata at the earliest," the Minister said in a tweet.

He also said: "I also visited the Salt Lake Sector V metro station, beside which the car-shed will be built. The construction there is in full swing and the first segment of the East-West Metro Corridor that we aspire to open for the public before Durga Puja this year will run between Sec V to Salt Lake Stadium, and thereafter in another 3-4 months, the service will extend to Phoolbagan Metro Station."

The Rs 8,575-crore project is expected to be fully completed by June 2021.

The Minister entered the tunnel accompanied by Parashuram Singh, Principal Chief Engineer, Metro Railway, and Managing Director, Kolkata Metro rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL), from the Howrah Maidan end and stood under the river appreciating the dry condition of the tunnel which is 36 metres below the ground level.

He also appreciated the quality of work being done and the safety precautions being taken by the team to ensure the safety of the structures including the protected monuments and heritage buildings.