Kolkata Metro, a rapid transit metro service, started its operations in 1984. As of now, it only caters to the people of Kolkata but will be connected to the city of Howrah soon. 3 Metro lines are currently in service, 3 under construction, and another 3 are under the planning phase. Right now the system uses broad gauge tracks (1676 mm) and 750 V of direct current (DC) is transferred via a third rail. Each train has 4 to 6 stations and travelling happens underground, overground and on elevated viaducts. A train arrives every 5 to 20 minutes at respective stations and the speed of each train is 80 kilometres per hour. More than 7 lakh people use the Kolkata Metro every day. The headquarters of Kolkata Metro, the Metro Rail Bhavan, is situated at Nehru Road. The train operations start at 6:45 AM and end at 10:45 PM on weekdays. The price of each ticket starts at 5 rupees and goes up to 25 rupees.Â
Suggested read:
Kolkata International Airport: History, Flights, Transportation & Passenger Tips
Delhi Metro Route Map 2024: Fare, Timings, Lines, Facts & Stations
History of Kolkata Metro
Conversations about building a railway line in Kolkata began back in September 1919, during a session of the British Legislative Council in Shimla. A committee was set up by W. E. Crum to look into this matter. The Metro line that was suggested was supposed to connect Bagmari in the east to Benaras Road in the west through a tunnel underneath the Hooghly river. The line was expected to be 10.4 km long and the ticket price would be three annas (0.1875 rupees). Other than this east-west corridor and north-south corridor was also suggested by Harley Dalrymple-Hay in 1921. Both these projects required a lot of funding, more than the imperial government could. As a result, these projects could not be taken up.Â
The idea came back to life in 1949, thanks to the then chief minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy. Traffic in congestion was increasing day by day, and an end was nowhere near in sight. roads of Kolkata only took up 4.2 km of the area. In other cities, this number went up to at least 25 to 30 kilometres. An alternative was desperately needed and hence the Metropolitan Transport Project was created in 1969. With the help of professionals from the USSR and East Germany, a layout of metro lines was created for Kolkata. The expected length of this project was 97.5 kilometres. Three areas were selected for construction, namely Dum Dum, Bidhannagar and Dakshineswar. Priority was given to Dum Dum as it was the most crowded area of Kolkata and needed some immediate intervention when it came to transport facilities.Â
This was India’s first indigenous railway mission and it took a lot of trial and error to perfect it. Many construction techniques like the cut-and-cover and shield tunnelling were employed in this project. This project met a lot of challenges. Funds were insufficient, underground utilities kept changing, there was a deficiency in important resources for the construction of the system, the list is endless. It was not until 1977, when this project started again, momentum. Under the Jyoti Basu government, policies were introduced to provide funding to Kolkata Metro. Operations finally began on 24 October 1984 but only a small distance of 3.4 kilometres was being covered.Â
Suggested read:
Mumbai Metro Route Map 2024: Station List, Lines, Timings & Facts
Kolkata Metro Line
Blue Line
The inauguration of the metro in Kolkata was done with the opening of Blue Line 1 on 24th October 1984. It was one of the first modern transit systems in India. It has been working for more than 30 years, providing the people of Kolkata with a safe and comfortable way to travel. It has broad gauge tracks and runs at a maximum speed of 55 kilometres per hour. Trains travelling on this line are made up of 8 coaches and travel north to south, taking you to some of the busiest yet prominent areas of Kolkata. The length of the tracks is 32.3 kilometres with 26 stations and stretches across Dakshineswar to Kavi Subash.Â
Green Line
The Green Line of Kolkata Metro travels an area of 9.1 kilometres with 8 stations. It goes from Salt Lake Sector-5 to Sealdah.Â
Purple Line
The Purple Line of Kolkata Metro travels an area of 7.2 kilometres with 6 stations. It goes from Joka to Taratala. All stations of the purple line are not operational as of yet.Â
The nonoperational lines are –
Yellow Line (only Noapara station is operational. The stations from Dum Dum Cantonment to Biman Bandar are under construction, while the remaining others are still under the planned stage)Â
Orange Line (all stations are under construction)
Also read:
Hyderabad Metro Route Map 2024: History, Timings, Lines, Facts & Stations List
Top Famous Attraction Connected by Blue Line (Line 1)
| Attraction | Nearest Station | Distance from Nearest Station (Km) |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Calcutta Golf Club | Mahanayak Uttam Kumar | 2.6 |
| Rabindra Sarobar | Rabindra Sarobar | 1.8 |
| Kalighat Mandir | Kalighat | 0.9 |
| Netaji Bhavan | Rabindra Sadan | 0.8 |
| Nehru’s Children Museum | Rabindra Sadan | 0 |
| St Paul’s Cathedral | Rabindra Sadan | 0.8 |
| Victoria Memorial | Rabindra Sadan | 1 |
| Fort William | Maidan | 3.9 |
| Prinsep Ghat | Maidan | 3.9 |
| MP Birla Planetarium | Maidan | 0.6 |
| Indian Museum | Park Street | 0.4 |
| Shaheed Minar | Esplanade | 0.8 |
| Eden Gardens | Esplanade | 1 |
| Marble Palace | MG Road | 0.4 |
Kolkata has the oldest metro system in India. This is the only metro that is under the control of Indian Railways. It also has the lowest ticket price in all of India. A lot of international support was required by the Soviet Union, France and East Germany for the construction of the Kolkata Metro. Even though all coaches are not air-conditioned, Kolkata is all set to have the first underwater metro in India.
We can undoubtedly say that Kolkata Metro is a rising star. Although it has not reached full potential yet, it has been catering to the public ever since the first day of operation. It has made travelling to important places in Kolkata very easy, efficient, and comfortable. The new alliance expansion of old lines will come with modern facilities and technology. It is already serving seven lakh people every day and the number is only going to increase.