In a first for the country, the Kolkata Metro created history by undertaking its maiden journey underwater, through a tunnel that runs inside the Hooghly river on Wednesday.
Calling it an “historic event,” P Uday Kumar Reddy, General Manager, Metro Railway travelled from Mahakaran to Howrah Maidan station in Rake No. MR-612 to witness this historic event.
The train crossed the Hooghly river at 11:55 hrs.
The underwater journey from — Howrah Maidan to Esplanade — will be conducted in trial runs for the next seven months, after which regular services on the route will be operational.
The underground route is a 4.8 kms and once the stretch opens, and it will be the deepest Metro station — 33-meter below surface — in India.
The Metro is expected to cover the 520 meters stretch under the river Hooghly in 45 seconds and pass through a tunnel which is 32 meters below the water level.
It is expected that commercial services on this stretch will begin this year.
Shri H. N. Jaiswal Additional General Manager, Metro Railway and MD, KMRCL as well as other senior officers of Metro Railway and KMRCL accompanied him during this journey. Shri Reddy offered puja at Howrah station once the rake reached there.
Later, Rake No MR- 613 was also taken to Howrah Maidan station.
All the staff, engineers of KMRCL under whose efforts and supervision this engineering marvel has been achieved were happy that this has been implemented.
Shri Kausik Mitra, CPRO/Metro Railway has said that “this is a historic moment for Metro Railway as after overcoming many hurdles we have succeeded to run rakes beneath the Hooghly river.”
“This is a revolutionary step in providing a modern transport system to the people of Kolkata and suburbs. This is indeed a special new year gift from Indian Railways for the people of Bengal,” he added.
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