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Kolkata metro marks historic moment with maiden run in India’s first underwater metro tunnel

Apr, 12, 2023
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India, Kolkata
Authored by: Lysimachos Tigkas

*Part of Kolkata metro (credits: Indian Railways / Government of India)*

The Kolkata metro marked a significant milestone on Wednesday, April 12, with the maiden test run in India’s first underwater metro tunnel, stretching under the Hooghly River.

Furthermore, Kolkata was the first city in India to have an operational Metro railway in 1984 and will be the country’s first city to have an underwater metro passage in late 2023 when the line 2 extension is expected to officially open to the public.

More specifically, the section under the Hooghly River covers 520 meters in length and is located 32 meters below the riverbed, taking the trains around 45 seconds to pass through.

Metro Rail’s general manager, P. Uday Kumar Reddy, travelled on the maiden run along with other senior officials and stated that further test runs will be conducted for the next five to seven months, before the project starts commercial run in late 2023.