10th October 2020
News source : India Today (7th October’20), Image source : Wikimedia Commons
• The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved Rs 8,575 crores for Kolkata East-West Metro Corridor Project, Union minister Piyush Goyal said.
• The project, originally launched in 2009, will service Kolkata and its surrounding areas. The line currently a small operational section within Salt Lake, but it aims to connect Teghoria in North 24 Parganas with Howrah by going underneath the Hooghly River. Once operational, the line will also act as a bridge to two of India’s largest commuter railway terminals - Howrah and Sealdah.
• According to an official statement, the project will reduce commuting time and fuel consumption, reduce capex on road infrastructure and ease traffic in Kolkata. The project is being implemented by Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL) which is a central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Railways set up as a special purpose vehicle.
• The project includes immense technological challenges like a tunnel below river Hooghly which is the first transportation tunnel in India under any major river as well as Howrah station which is one of the deepest Metro stations in India.
• Since this corridor connects the three most important parts of the Kolkata Metropolitan area -- Howrah, the business area of Kolkata and new settlements in Salt Lake -- and is expected it is going to revolutionise the mass rapid transport in Kolkata and adjoining Howrah and Bidhanangar.
• It will integrate multiple modes of transport like the Metro, Sub-urban Railways, ferry and bus transport by constructing interchange hubs. This will ensure a smooth and seamless mode of transport to lakhs of daily commuters.
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