Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated three new metro rail routes in Kolkata, including direct service for Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport here.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya and Union Minister Sukant Majumdar. The 13.61 km long network spread over ‘Green’, ‘Yellow’ and ‘Orange’ lines is a symbol of a significant achievement in the city’s metro journey, which began in 1984.
Officials said that new sections are expected to reduce congestion on the roads of Kolkata and daily transformation of millions of people. He informed that the expansion of the Green Line between Sealdah and Espless (2.45 km) will provide the first uninterrupted metro contact between the two most busy railway terminals in the metropolis, Howrah and Sealdah.
He said that the road which is decided in about 50 minutes, struggling with roadways, will now be decided in about 11 minutes by underground. Officials said the Yellow Line from Noapada to Jai Hind Awavembander (6.77 km) for air travelers, for the first time in 41 years, will connect the airport directly to the city’s metro grid.
He said that going to the airport usually takes more than an hour by road, but now this time will be reduced to only 30 minutes. Officials said the third corridor, ‘Orange Line’, would ensure uninterrupted contact between East and West of Kolkata, which will increase the capacity of the network, which has been steadily increasing in recent years.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the inauguration ceremony. Leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state cited the alleged oppression of the state migrants in the BJP ruled regions as the reason for this.