In a momentous event slated for March 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the highly anticipated Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the Kolkata Metro's East-West corridor, heralding a new era in India's urban transportation history. This section, distinguished as the first to run under a river in India, navigates beneath the River Hooghly, seamlessly connecting the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah.

This engineering feat includes the construction of the deepest Metro station in India at Howrah, situated 32 metres below the water level. The project showcases remarkable engineering ingenuity and innovation, with the Metro's trial journey under the Hooghly River in April 2023 standing as a testament to India's capabilities in infrastructure development.

Spanning a 4.8-kilometer stretch, the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section is a crucial part of the 16.6-kilometer East-West Metro corridor. This segment promises to significantly enhance urban mobility and connectivity between critical areas, including the IT hub of Salt Lake Sector V, while addressing issues of traffic congestion and environmental sustainability in Kolkata.

The metro journey across the 520-metre river stretch under the Hooghly is expected to take just 45 seconds, offering a swift, efficient, and time-saving transportation option for the city's residents and visitors alike.

Despite facing challenges, including an aquifer burst at Bowbazar in 2019 and subsequent water leakage incidents, the project has steadily progressed, with the Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah stretch of the corridor already operational. The inauguration of the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section, along with the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and the Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections, marks a significant milestone in the completion of the East-West Metro corridor.

The East-West Metro project, initiated in 2009 with tunnelling under the Hooghly River starting in 2017, exemplifies India's ambition to create modern, sustainable, and efficient urban transportation solutions. As the city gears up for this historic inauguration, the new underwater metro section promises to revolutionise travel in Kolkata, setting a benchmark for future infrastructure projects in India and beyond.

Video & Image Source- The economic times, India Today.