Kolkata Metro

In the September 1919 session of the Imperial Legislative Council at Shimla, a committee was set up by Sir W. E. Crum that recommended a metro line for Kolkata. This line was supposed to connect Bagmari in the east to Benaras Road, Salkia, in Howrah in the west via a tunnel beneath Hooghly River. The estimated construction costs were £3,526,154, about ₹4.28 crore (US$600,000) based on current exchange rates, and the proposed deadline was 1925–1926. The proposed line, 10.4 km (6.5 mi) long (about 4 km (2.5 mi) shorter than the current East-West Corridor) would connect East Bengal Railway in Bagmari and Indian Railways in Benaras Road. Crum also mentioned a north–south corridor back then. All the reports can be found in his 1921 book Calcutta Tube Railways. The tickets were priced at 3 annas (Rs. 0.1875) for the full trip.[3][4] An east–west metro railway connection, named the "East–West Tube Railway", was proposed for Kolkata in 1921 by Harley Dalrymple-Hay, but it was ultimately not undertaken due to a lack of funds in 1923.

The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy, reconceived the idea of an underground railway for Kolkata in the early 1950s. A survey was done by a team of French experts, but nothing concrete came of this. Efforts to solve problem traffic by augmenting the existing fleet of public transport vehicles hardly helped, since roads accounted for only 4.2% of the surface area in Kolkata, compared with 25% in Delhi and 30% 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 97.5 km (60.6 mi), in 1971.[5] However, only three were selected for construction. These were:

• Dum Dum – Tollygunge (Line 1. Presently operates from Noapara to New Garia)
• Salt Lake City – Ramrajatala (Line 2. Presently truncated till Howrah Maidan)
• Dakshineswar – Thakurpukur (Divided into Line 1; Noapara to Dakshineswar and Line 3; Joka to Esplanade)[6][7]

The highest priority was given to the busy north–south corridor between Dum Dum and Tollygunge over a length of 16.45 km (10.22 mi); work on this project was approved on 1 June 1972. A tentative deadline was fixed to complete all the corridors by 1991.[8]

Shyambazar-Belgachhia Section (Shield tunneling using compressed air and airlocks) using Hungarian expertise during its construction in 1980s.

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 numerous international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct the 17 km (11 mi) underground railway.[7][9]

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. 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 this, services began on 24 October 1984, with the commissioning of a partial commercial service covering a distance of 3.40 km (2.11 mi)[5] with five stations served between Esplanade and Bhowanipur (currently Netaji Bhavan). The first metro was driven by Tapan Kumar Nath and Sanjoy Sil. The service was quickly followed by commuter services on another 2.15 km (1.34 mi) 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 4.24 km (2.63 mi), making the service available over a distance of 9.79 km (6.08 mi) 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.[10]

Evolution of Kolkata Metro

After more than eight years, the 1.62 km (1.01 mi) Belgachhia-Shyambazaar section, along with the Dum Dum–Belgachhia stretch, was opened on 13 August 1994. Another 0.71 km (0.44 mi) stretch from Esplanade to Chandni Chowk was commissioned shortly afterwards, on 2 October 1994. The Shyambazaar-Shobhabazar-Girish Park (1.93 km (1.20 mi)) and Chandni Chowk-Central (0.60 km (0.37 mi)) sections were opened on 19 February 1995. Services on the entire stretch of the Metro were introduced from 27 September 1995 by bridging the 1.80 km (1.12 mi) gap in the middle.[11]

In 1999–2000, the extension of Line 1 along an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to New Garia, with six stations, was sanctioned at a cost of ₹907 crore (US$130 million).[12] 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. The latest extension opened was the 2.59 km (1.61 mi) stretch from Dum Dum to Noapara on 10 July 2013.[13][7][14][15]

The masterplan 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 ₹4,874.6 crore (US$680 million) project, sanctioned in 2008 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The West Bengal government had earlier appointed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited to conduct a feasibility study of the project, after which the government put the project on hold due to funding issues. The foundation stone was laid on 22 February 2009 and construction started in March 2009.[16] 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 had 50–50 shares in it. Later, the Government of West Bengal pulled out from it, and the shares were transferred to the Ministry of Railways.[17]

Under construction Howrah metro station, the deepest metro station in India[18]

East West Metro Tunnel under the Hooghly River is the first underwater metro tunnel in India.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee proposed the politically controversial realignment of the East-West Corridor from Central to Esplanade in 2012, stating that the original plan would affect 250 shop-owners and tenants in the Lalbazar and Bowbazar area. The residents and traders of those areas started protests. KMRC and JICA requested the Government of West Bengal to stick to the original plan to avoid impacting the entire project. This was the first time in the country that a metro corridor alignment was being changed after preparation of DPR and sanction of the project. Despite opposition from the official agencies, the Government of West Bengal forcefully approved the route realignment. This changed the location of Mahakaran metro station and increased the length of the corridor by 2 km (1.2 mi). Later, KMRC said that the realignment would increase ridership and revenue by at least 30%.[19][20][21]

The realignment led to many other issues and delays. Some of the biggest issues were the H-piles under Esplanade metro station and the Bowbazar mishap. As 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 TBMs cannot cut through steel, another small tunnel was dug using NATM and the H-piles were cut manually. This extended the tunneling process by one and a half months.[22][23][24] In September 2019, during the construction of the eastbound tunnel (from Esplanade to Sealdah), a TBM 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 was checked using grouting.[25][26][27]

• Construction of station at Noapara: A new four-platform interchange station has been constructed at Noapara. Commuters will be able to change between Line 1 and Line 4. For the time being, only two platforms are in use, but once Line 4 is running, all four platforms will be operational.[29][13]
• Upgrade of Esplanade metro station: A subway is being constructed in the existing Esplanade metro station to the new metro station to provide an interchange among Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3.[30][31]
• Renaming of stations: In 2009–2010, Line 1 underwent upgrades of services and amenities, and many stations were renamed for famous personalities by Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee.[32]

Line 1, or the North–South metro corridor, has a total length of 27 kilometres (17 mi) serving 24 stations, of which 15 are underground, 9 are elevated and 2 at-grade. It uses the five-and-a-half-foot (1.7-metre) Indian gauge, a broad gauge rolling stock. 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 Line 1 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. The latest extension constructed was the 2.59 km (1.61 mi) elevated corridor from Dum Dum to Noapara in 2013.[39][15][40]

A northward extension from Dum Dum to Dakshineshwar (6.20 km (3.85 mi)) was sanctioned and included in the 2010–2011 budget at a cost of ₹227.53 crore (US$32 million). The commercial operations for Dum Dum to Noapara (2.09 km (1.30 mi)) was commissioned in March 2013, and construction from Noapara to Dakshineshwar with an interchange with Line 5 at Baranagar (2.38 km (1.48 mi)) is being executed by RVNL. This section is expected to open in November 2020[41] with a projected ridership of 55,000 by 2030.[42]

An upgrade of the existing signalling system from Indian Railways Signalling to Communication Based Train Control was proposed by Metro Railway, Kolkata, at a cost of ₹467 crore (US$65 million), and was sent to Indian Railways. This could decrease the time interval between trains to just 90 seconds from 5 minutes. Indian Railways approved the proposal, and installation work is expected to be complete within 2–3 years.[43][44]

East–West metro is the second metro corridor to connect Kolkata with Howrah by an underwater metro line below the Hooghly River. The length was supposed to be 14.67 km (9.12 mi) (8.9 km (5.5 mi) underground and 5.77 km (3.59 mi) elevated). However, the project was stalled several times due to land acquisition and slum relocation issues. A major realignment in June 2016 increased the length to 16.55 km (10.28 mi) (10.81 km (6.72 mi) underground, 5.77 km (3.59 mi) elevated). The planned intersection with Line 1 at Central was re-aligned to Esplanade (interchange with Line 1 and Line 3). In September 2019, during the construction of the eastbound tunnel (from Esplanade to Sealdah), a TBM hit an aquifer under Bowbazar, causing a major collapse in the area, delaying work on that section for several months.[45] These issues have caused massive delays to the project, and foreign currency losses had led to an 80% cost escalation of the project to nearly ₹8,996.96 crore (US$1.3 billion).[46][47][48]

Between Mahakaran and Howrah Station, the metro will run under the Hooghly River – the first underwater metro in India. Transfer stations with railways will be located at Sealdah and Howrah. A new elevated extension from Salt Lake Sector V to Teghoria (Haldiram) was sanctioned, a distance of 5.5 km (3.4 mi) at a budget of ₹674 crore (US$94 million) in 2016.[49] From Teghoria (Haldiram), passengers can take the Line 6 metro (VIP Road Station) to Biman Bandar.

The line from Salt Lake Sector V to Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated on 13 February 2020 by Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal after 11 years of construction.[50][39]

Previously, the stretch from Thakurpukur to Majerhat was surveyed as a branch line of the circular railway, and a metro line from Majerhat to Dakshineshwar via Sealdah (interchange with Line 2) was planned.[6] This plan was scrapped and a new metro line from further south in Joka to BBD Bagh was sanctioned in 2010–2011 with a total length of 16.72 km (10.39 mi) at an anticipated cost of ₹2,619.02 crore (US$370 million). Later the route was truncated to Esplanade. The corridor runs along Diamond Harbour Road, Khidirpur Road and Jawaharlal Nehru Road, major arterial roads of Kolkata, and has passenger interchange facilities with Line 1 at Esplanade station. The line will have a new depot in Joka. Due to land acquisition problems, construction has been delayed several times since 2017.[51][52] The work resumed in several phases and new bids were invited by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) in April 2020.[53][54][55] The extension of this line to IIM and Diamond Park for 2 km (1.2 mi) has been sanctioned in the 2012–2013 Budget at a cost of ₹294.49 crore (US$41 million). The execution of this work has been entrusted to RVNL.[56][28][37]

The line has 3 phases:

1. Joka to Majerhat (Phase 1)
2. Majerhat to Esplanade (Phase 2)
3. Joka to Diamond Park (Phase 3)

The proposed Esplanade station will not be the same as that of Line 1 but a different station which will also serve Line 2. The Mominpur metro station was planned to build across a 2500 sq. m area. However, the Ministry of Defence objected to the elevated structure, saying that it would overlook the Ordnance depot. This forced RVNL to stall the entire project, and RVNL almost dropped the station from the plan even though it alone would have a projected 20,000 passengers during peak hours. After a series of discussions and consultations with the Ministry of Defence and Government of West Bengal, material modification was done and the station was shifted around 1 km (0.62 mi) northward, near the Alipore Bodyguard Lines. It will be the last elevated station of the corridor.[57][58][59]

The work of integrating the Circular Railway from Dum Dum to Biman Bandar along with construction of a new line from Noapara to Dum Dum over 6.249 km (3.883 mi)[37] was sanctioned and included in the 2010–2011 budget. The cost of the project is ₹184.83 crore (US$26 million). An eastward extension from Biman Bandar to Barasat over 10.627 km (6.603 mi)[37] was sanctioned and included in the 2010–2011 budget. The cost of the project is ₹2,397.72 crore (US$340 million). The execution of this project from Noapara to Barasat is being done by Metro Railway, Kolkata.[60] Due to multiple delays and hurdles, the total cost of the project had grown to ₹4,829.57 crore (US$680 million).[61]

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 Biman Bandar metro station were planned at-grade and underground, respectively. This stretch will continue underground till New Barrackpore,[62] Another station was proposed at Michael Nagar.[61] In January 2020, bids for geotechnical works were invited.[63]

The Baranagar–Barrackpore Line is the northward extension from Baranagar to Barrackpore (12.40 km (7.71 mi)). It was sanctioned at a cost of ₹2,069.6 crore (US$290 million) in the 2010–2011 budget. This line was meant to enable a quick commute from the northernmost suburbs to South Kolkata. The work corridor is being executed by RVNL. As of May 2020, no physical construction has commenced, and the project has been stalled as metro construction would affect the water pipelines along Barrackpore Trunk Road.[64] To avoid this, another proposal was made to continue this line through the Kalyani Expressway. Eleven metro stations were planned on this route.[28]

Satyajit Ray metro station

A connection between New Garia and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (29.87 km (18.56 mi))[37] via EM Bypass, Saltlake and Rajarhat-New Town has started; it will reduce travel time between the southern fringes of Kolkata and the airport. Work on this line was inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee on 7 February 2011 with a project deadline of six years.[65] The link between Kavi Subhash and Biman Bandar, to be set up at a cost of Rs 4 billion, will have 24 stations with the terminal airport station being an underground one. Biman Bandar metro station will also have a stabling yard, and will be the largest underground facility in the country.[66] This line will have interchanges at Kavi Subhash (with Line 1); Salt Lake Sector V (with Line 2) and Teghoria/VIP Road (again with Line 2).[28][37]

Initially, the Biman Bandar metro station was planned to be elevated. However, the AAI objected that the elevated stretch up to Biman Bandar 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. This will be the only underground station in the whole corridor.[67][62]

Map showing the whole route

Display showing upcoming station details and ETA

Display on platforms

The system operates between 06:45 and 21:55. There are a total of 358 services everyday.[73][74] Trains operate at an average speed of 55–60 km/h (34.18–37.28 mph) and stop for about 10 to 20 seconds at each station, depending on the crowd.[75] All stations have display boards showing the terminating station, current time, scheduled time of arrival and estimated time of arrival of trains in Bangla, Hindi and English. Digital countdown clocks are also present in the stations.[76][77] All the coaches have line route-maps and speakers and displays, which provide details of upcoming stations in the three languages. Navigation information is available on Google Maps.[78]

In 2008, the Kolkata Metro Railway experimented with the practice of reserving two entire compartments for women. This system was found to be ineffective and caused inconvenience for a lot of commuters (including women) and the plan was dropped.[79]

Now, 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.[80][81][82]

The fare is based on the pre-determined distance-slabs. Kolkata Metro has the lowest starting fare in the country of Rs. 5.

Line 1: The following is the revised zones and fare for single journey tokens and Smart Cards as of 5 December 2019.[83]

Line 2: The following is the zones and fare for single journey tokens and Smart Cards as of 15 February 2019.[83]

After using the magnetic ticketing strip system from 1984 to 2011, Kolkata Metro introduced Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tokens by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) in partnership with Keltron in August 2011. The old magnetic strip reader gates were replaced with new RFID readers.[84][85]

Old magnetic strip ticket

After introducing RFID tokens, Kolkata metro introduced a Smart Card service provided by CRIS.[84] Earlier, four different types of smart cards were used: Minimum Multi Ride (MMR), Limited Multi Ride (LMR), General Multi Ride (GMR) and Extended Multi Ride (EMR). They were withdrawn on 7 November 2013 and a single type of Smart Card (General Smart Card) was introduced. Two new types of Tourist Smart Cards were also introduced (Tourist Smart Card – I and Tourist Smart Card – II). There is a compulsory refundable security deposit of Rs. 60. The card is common for both Line 1 and 2.[86][87]

North-South Metro token

East-West Metro token

North-South Metro smart card

East-West Metro smart card

General Smart Card (for Line 1)

Store Value Card (for Line 2)

Tourist Smart Card: These type of smart cards, are for tourists and have unlimited rides. They cost ₹250, valid for a day, and ₹550, valid for three days. A security deposit of ₹60 is also charged.[87]

The metro railway runs special night-long services during Durga Puja (Mahasaptami to Mahanavami) 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.[88][89][90]

Platform screen door at Salt Lake Stadium metro station

All stations are equipped with closed-circuit cameras, metal detectors and baggage scanners. The Railway Protection Force provides security in the premises.[91][92] Smoking is strictly prohibited in the metro premises. All stations in the East–West Corridor have half-height and full-height platform screen doors for elevated and underground stations, respectively.[93]

All stations have televisions which telecast news and songs.[94] 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.[95][96]

Most stations have services such as ATMs, food outlets and chemist stalls. To ease crowding for recharging smart cards, two Automatic Card recharge machines were installed at Dum Dum.[97] On account of the Swachhta–Hi–Seva, a nationwide awareness and mobilization campaign on cleanliness, plastic bottle crushers were placed at multiple stations.[98]

Second rake of Kolkata Metro Line 2

The rolling stock of Line 1 uses Indian gauge, a broad gauge track manufactured by Integral Coach Factory, Chennai (ICF), and the electrical components are manufactured by NGEF, Bangalore. Initially, the rolling stock fleet was composed of four-car rakes. Over the years there has been considerable expansion to the network, both underground and on elevated sections. With the increase in traffic, an eight-car rake formation has become standard.[107]

Presently, there are four operational depots. The Noapara, Tollygunge and New Garia depots serve the North–South corridor, while the Central Park depot serves the East–West Corridor.[108][109][110] A depot at Joka for Line 3 and a yard at Airport for Line 4 are under construction.[111][112][113]

Netaji metro station and the third rail electrification

Girish Park metro station

Kolkata Metro has 30 stations, of which 21 are underground, 7 are elevated and 2 are at grade. Currently, Noapara is the largest metro station in the system and it will be the interchange station for Line 1 and Line 4. The under-construction Howrah metro station is the deepest metro station in India.[30] The standard length of platforms in Kolkata Metro is 170 m. The metro stations of Gitanjali and Netaji have the shortest platforms of 163 m.[114] The average length between any two stations is 1.14 km (0.71 mi). The shortest distance is 0.597 km (0.371 mi) between Central and Chandni Chowk, and the longest distance is 2.15 km (1.34 mi) between Dum Dum and Belgachia. Since the Kolkata Metro has 750 V DC third rail electrification, electricity substations were built in Jatin Das Park, Central and Shyambazar. The tracks are ballastless with M1A track fittings.[79]

Trains operate on typical Indian Railways automatic signalling technology. A Route Relay Interlocking System has been provided at New Garia depot and Tollygunge depot and Electronic Interlocking has been provided at Noapara depot to facilitate the prompt withdrawal and injection of rakes and to perform shunting operations inside the car shed for maintenance purposes. The Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) is provided throughout the Metro Railway. It is designed to prevent collisions caused by human (operator) error.[115] A Train Describer System and Auto Train Charting are used to help the operation control centre monitor and plan train movement on a real-time basis. An Integrated Power Supply System and Microprocessor based Data Logger System have also been provided.[116] An integrated system of STM-1 & STM-4 optical fibre cable is used for all telecommunication, signalling, SCADA and other circuits in Line 1. The service is provided by RailTel.[117][117]

An upgrade of the existing signalling system of the North-South corridor from Indian Railways Signalling to Communication Based Train Control was planned by Metro Railway, Kolkata, at ₹467 crore (US$65 million) and the proposal was sent to Indian Railways recently, so that time interval between trains can be decreased to just 90 seconds from 5 minutes. Indian Railways gave a go-ahead to the proposal, and installation work is supposed to be complete within 2–3 years.[44]

Unlike the previous line, the East–West Corridor adopted the more advanced Communications Based Train Control system. It has cab signalling and a centralised automatic train control system consisting of automatic operation, protection and signalling modules. The signalling system is provided by Italy-based company Ansaldo STS. The other signalling equipment includes an integrated system featuring fibre optic cable, SCADA, radios and a PA system.[118][119][120][93][121]

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.[122]