Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first metro line “under any mighty river” in Kolkata today, a landmark project showcasing the nation’s infrastructure development.
In Short
- PM Modi inaugurates India’s first underwater metro in Kolkata
- Will cover 520-metre stretch under the Hooghly in 45 seconds
- He takes first metro rise with school students
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated India’s first metro line “under any mighty river” in Kolkata today, a landmark project showcasing the nation’s stride towards infrastructure development.
He also laid the foundation stone of multiple connectivity projects worth Rs 15,400 crore.
The metro railway services flagged off by the Prime Minister include operations from Kolkata Metro’s Kavi Subhash, Majerhat and the Esplanade stations; Kochi Metro, Agra Metro, Meerut-RRTS section and Pune Metro.
The underwater service is part of the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro’s East-West corridor, which will cover a distance of 4.8 km under the Hooghly river.
The metro service will connect Howrah and Salt Lake — the West Bengal state capital’s twin cities. Three out of six stations will be underground. It is expected to zoom through a 520-metre stretch under the Hooghly in just 45 seconds.
The Prime Minister took the first ride on the underwater metro with several school students.
A video from inside the metro train’s premises, shows Modi interacting with the school children sitting next to him, while some of them stood near him.
He waved to passengers of another metro train when it passed by the one he was riding on.
West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, along with several metro staffers, also accompanied the Prime Minister on the metro train.
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The inauguration ceremony was attended by top officials and dignitaries.
“Although the inauguration will take place tomorrow (Wednesday), the passenger services will begin at a later date,” the PTI news agency quoted Kaushik Mitra, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Railway, as saying.
The inauguration of the landmark project comes less than a year after Kolkata Metro, in April 2023, made history by running a train through the underwater tunnel as part of trials, which was a first in India.
Speaking to India Today TV earlier this week, Kaushik Mitra said that the underwater metro service is “a gift from our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people of Kolkata”.
“A long-cherished dream is going to be realised with this inauguration,” he said.
Besides the underwater metro tunnel, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and the Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections in Kolkata today.
On Wednesday afternoon, he is scheduled to address a public rally in Barasat, North 24 Parganas district.
On Tuesday evening, shortly after his arrival in Kolkata, Modi went to the Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan where Ramakrishna Math and Mission president Swami Smarananandaji Maharaj is undergoing treatment.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “Upon reaching Kolkata, went to the hospital and enquired about the health of the President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Srimat Swami Smaranananda ji Maharaj. We are all praying for his good health and quick recovery.”Prime Minister Modi’s latest visit to West Bengal came two weeks after his last trip to the state during which he addressed public rallies at Arambagh in Hooghly district and Krishnanagar in Nadia.
This article is originally published on IndiaTV!
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