A distance of 520 meters in 45 seconds... Know about the country's first underwater metro train, today PM Modi will inaugurate in Kolkata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the country's first underwater metro section in West Bengal's capital Kolkata today. The underwater metro tunnel is a stunning feat of engineering spanning 16.6 kilometers under the Hooghly River. The underwater metro will connect Howrah on the west bank of the Hooghly with Salt Lake City on the east bank. It will have 6 stations, three of which are underground. After the inauguration by PM Modi, common people will be able to enjoy the underground metro.

Here are 10 highlights of the project

1 – Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro is very special. Because the train will run under water in this section. Howrah Metro station is also the deepest station in India.

2- The Howrah Plain-Esplanade section is built under the Hooghly River, the cities of Howrah and Salt Lake are located on the east and west banks of the Hooghly River.

3- In April 2023, Kolkata Metro created history by running a train through a tunnel under the Hooghly River as a trial run, a first in India.

4- This section is 4.8 km long. which will connect the Howrah Maidan to the Esplanade. In this section, Howrah Maidan will be connected with Salt Lake Sector V under the East-West Metro Corridor.

5- Officials have expressed hope that this metro will cover a distance of 520 meters under the Hooghly river in just 45 seconds.

6- Part of East-West alignment between Esplanade and Sealdah is still under construction. However the stretch from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah is already in use.

7- Metro will run on Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system. This means that the train will automatically reach the next station after the metro driver presses a button.

8- Of the total 16.6 kilometers of the East-West Metro, 10.8 kilometers are underground, including the tunnel under the Hooghly River. The rest is above ground.

9- Kolkata Metro aims to start commercial operations on the entire East-West route between Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah Plain around June or July.

10- According to the officials, people will also get 5G internet facility in the underwater metro. It is also said that not even a single drop of water can enter the tunnel.

'Kolkata Metro work is going on in several phases'

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the work on the Kolkata Metro started in the 1970s, but the progress made in the last 10 years of the Modi government is more than the previous 40 years. He said that the prime minister's focus is on building infrastructure and laying the foundation for the country to become a developed nation by 2047. Kolkata Metro work has progressed in several phases. In the current phase, a tunnel under the river has been constructed for the city's East-West Metro Corridor.