Premier Modi inaugurates Indian metros

Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had a busy day on 6 March when he inaugurated service on new sections of four Indian metros, though in fact he was in Kolkata (Calcutta) to do the honours there, and opened the remainder by video link. 

 

Kolkata was the most significant event, with three new sections of metro. The Prime Minister waved off and rode the new 4.8km section of metro line 2 from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan, billed as India’s first underwater metro because the new section of subway crosses under the Hooghly river. 

 

Line 2 is now operating over two separate sections, with the Esplanade to Sealdah station section still to be completed. The north–south line 3 was extended by 1.15km from Taratyala to Majerhat, bringing it one station closer to the city centre. 6 March was also the inauguration day for line 6 in the eastern suburbs, initially 5.4km from Kavi Subhash (New Garia) to Hermanta Mukhopadhay (Ruby), with interchange with the eastern section of line 2 at New Garia. Eventually the line will be extended to 30km, reaching the Kolkata International Airport. 

 

In the city of Agra, best known as the site of the Taj Mahal, standard-gauge metro service was inaugurated on 6 March, initially a 5.2km section of the Yellow Line linking Mankameshwar Mandir and Taj East Gate. When complete the Yellow Line will run for 14.2km, reaching Sikandara. 

 

Alstom has supplied the rolling stock from its Indian factory. A Blue Line will bring the system to 29.4km in the future. In the city of Kochi the metro was extended by one station (1km) from SN Junction to Thripunithura. The Pune metro saw the inauguration of a 5.5km extension from Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi.