PM to flag off three metro stretches, Kolkata commute set for new dawn

Kolkata, Aug 21 (PTI) Kolkata is set for a historic leap in public transport, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi slated to inaugurate three new metro corridors on Friday, which will drastically slash travel time, including cutting a 50-minute road journey to 11 minutes and the airport commute to just 30 minutes.

With the Green, Yellow and Orange lines rolling out, Kolkata Metro is poised to script history and redefine the way millions criss-cross the metropolis.

For lakhs of daily passengers, these new lines promise not just speed but a new way of life.

With the additions, Kolkata Metro — India's oldest rapid transit system — will for the first time in its 41-year journey directly connect the airport with the rest of the city.

The inauguration marks a defining moment in the city's tryst with underground travel that began modestly in 1984.

The Green Line extension between Sealdah and Esplanade (2.45 km) is being hailed as a "game-changer." It will provide the first seamless metro link between the twin stations of Howrah and Sealdah, Kolkata's busiest railway terminus handling lakhs of passengers every day.

What takes 50 minutes through congested traffic will now take just about 11 minutes underground.

Officials estimate this single stretch could alter commuting patterns and ease pressure on the city's choked roads.

For flyers, the wait has been even longer.

The Yellow Line stretch from Noapara to Jai Hind Airport (6.77 km) will give the city its first direct metro ride to the international airport.

With three stations — Dum Dum Cantonment, Jessore Road and Jai Hind Bimanbandar — the corridor will cut travel time from Esplanade to the airport to just 30 minutes.

Metro officials expect not just passengers, but airline staff and airport workers to be among the biggest beneficiaries.

The third addition, the Orange Line stretch from Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby) to Beleghata (Metropolis) (4.4 km), will link Science City, several hospitals, schools and busy commercial hubs, improving east-south connectivity.

The inauguration, however, is not without political undertones.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to give the event a miss, with TMC leaders citing the alleged harassment of migrants from the state in BJP-ruled regions as the reason.

The absence of the state's top leadership underscores the strained political equations even as the city braces for the prime minister's visit.

Officials expect a surge in ridership once the new corridors open, especially among daily commuters and airport-bound passengers.

"This is going to be a game-changer. It will save people hours every week and provide a modern, comfortable alternative to road travel," a senior metro official said.

Passenger traffic here is projected to double once the line becomes operational, easing pressure on buses and autos that currently dominate the route.

Together, the three new corridors will add 366 train services daily and raise Kolkata Metro's carrying capacity to nearly 9.15 lakh passengers every day.

Importantly, a single smart card will be valid across routes, meaning commuters can travel from Howrah Maidan to the airport-changing lines twice -without having to buy fresh tickets.

The infrastructure has been designed with modern passenger needs in mind- wider concourses, elevators, escalators, toilets, divyang-friendly features and real-time information systems.

The Yellow Line's Jessore Road station has been built at ground level, while the Jai Hind Airport terminal is fully underground with direct terminal access.

Since its modest start four decades ago between Esplanade and Bhawanipore, the Kolkata Metro has expanded gradually.

But Friday's inauguration- which officials say may see services for passengers begin immediately after the PM's flag-off- will be among the most transformative days in its history.

For a city long plagued by traffic snarls and overloaded buses, the three new metro stretches hold the promise of quicker, cleaner and more predictable journeys.

More than just new tracks, they signal the arrival of a smarter, integrated Kolkata commute-one that stitches together the city, its suburbs, its IT hub and its airport into a single fast-moving grid.

And while politics may overshadow the optics of the inauguration, for commuters the Green, Yellow and Orange lines mark no less than a new dawn- where minutes, not hours, will decide the rhythm of Kolkata's daily life. PTI PNT MNB