This story is from February 14, 2020

Kolkata waits for full East-West Metro run by 2022

The East-West Metro will run the entire 16.6km stretch from Sector V to Howrah Maidan in two years, said Railway minister Piyush Goyal after flagging off the first train for the truncated 5km section on Thursday. Another 1km will be added in three-four months when services get extended to Phoolbagan. The commercial services on the new line will begin at 8am on Valentine’s Day. Keeping the occasion in mind, Metro officials, led by principal chief operations manager (PCOM) Satyaki Nath, will distribute rose buds to the first 50 commuters. The passenger count, however, is likely to be in the thousands.
Kolkata waits for full East-West Metro run by 2022
A decorated East-West Metro rake gears up for its inaugural run on Thursday
KOLKATA: The East-West Metro will run the entire 16.6km stretch from Sector V to Howrah Maidan in two years, said Railway minister Piyush Goyal after flagging off the first train for the truncated 5km section on Thursday. Another 1km will be added in three-four months when services get extended to Phoolbagan. The commercial services on the new line will begin at 8am on Valentine’s Day.
Keeping the occasion in mind, Metro officials, led by principal chief operations manager (PCOM) Satyaki Nath, will distribute rose buds to the first 50 commuters. The passenger count, however, is likely to be in the thousands.
Salt Lake residents were excited to finally be on the Metro map and some managed to take the inaugural ride on Thursday. Over the next few days, rail officials expect a decent turnout. The commuter count, though, will reach its full potential only when the entire line becomes operational. That, Goyal said, would happen in two years.
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“I think we can start the Howrah end in two years. If we get local support, the entire 16km line can be dedicated to Kolkata’s service. Babul Supriyo has inspected the tunnel under the river and I am authorizing him to review the project on my behalf. He and Metro GM Manoj Joshi will review the project every month and we shall drive it ahead with full vigour,” he said.
The minister also spoke on how crucial the state’s cooperation was to expedite the four other Metro lines that are under construction. “I have been handed a huge list of bottlenecks, land logjams and issues with the state coming in the way of these projects. I hope we get full cooperation from the state in completing the other Metro projects,” he said.
Mayor Firhad Hakim said the state had always extended help in resolving land issues related to Metro with chief minister Mamata Banerjee stepping in to fast-track the projects she had initiated as Railway minister a decade ago.

Aprita Bhuniya was one of the few who hopped on for the inaugural ride. “For now, it will be a fun ride. But I’m glad the services are starting,” she said.
KMRC MD Manas Sarkar believes this Metro line, when fully operational, will change the lives of lakhs. “Some 36 years after the country’s first Metro line, Kolkata has got the second one. This is a historic moment,” he said.
While the wait for this corridor has been long, it has meant leapfrogging old technologies to get one of the most advanced systems. East-West Metro is equipped with communication-based train control system, which will guide the rakes.
“When the full stretch starts operating, around 8 lakh people will take the trains daily,” Manoj Joshi said.
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