Kolkata Metro Orange Line Phase III Track Laying Completed

Bengal: Track laying work in Phase III of Kolkata Metro's Orange Line completed

Kolkata, Sep 20

This marked a major milestone for the project, which will connect Kolkata's extreme south to the airport while passing through the IT hub at New Town in Salt Lake.

The inspection signifies the completion of the viaduct and ballastless track (BLT) works in this section. Electrical works can now begin, including laying the third rail and installing signals.

The Kavi Subhash-Jai Hind Bimanbandar Metro project, sanctioned in 2010, is being executed in five phases. The first two phases, Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay to Beleghata, have already been commissioned and passenger services are being operated.

"The push trolley inspection of the third phase, from Beleghata to the IT Centre, indicates that substantial work has been completed. Once this phase gets operational, traffic will go up manifold as it will directly connect the city's IT hub to its southern neighbourhoods," an official said.

Kolkata was the first city in the country to have a metro, which started operating in 1984. Unfortunately, its network is only about 73 km. Other metros that started operations much later have longer networks.

Metro Railway has now cleared most bottlenecks and hopes to extend the network to at least 130 km over the next few years.

While work is progressing along the Orange Line and the Purple Line (from Joka to Esplanade), construction of the Baranagar to Barrackpore stretch is expected to start soon.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has recently granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to shift a water pipeline that runs below B.T. Road.

The NOC was held up for years despite all efforts by the Ministry of Railways. Construction of the viaduct along B.T. Road can begin once the pipeline has been removed.

Another link likely to be revived is the one from the airport to Barasat. This will ease congestion on Jessore Road and provide an alternative travel option for those commuting from the suburbs to Kolkata.

In 2025-26, Metro Railway carried 23.60 crore commuters, which effectively means about 6.5 lakh passengers daily on average. These numbers will grow as the network expands, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through smarter commuting options.

The Orange Line will soon be fitted with the auto train running system for enhanced safety. This system prevents trains from passing red signals, even if the motorman is distracted.

— IANS