PM Modi to launch multiple connectivity projects in Kolkata today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India's first underwater metro rail service today in Kolkata. This will be a part of multiple connectivity projects worth 15,400 crores rupees which Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of in Kolkata. 

The new metro line, called the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section, will be the country's first transportation tunnel beneath a major river. It passes beneath the River Hooghly, which separates Kolkata and Howrah cities on its east and west banks. The Howrah metro station, part of this new line, holds the distinction of being India's deepest metro station.

Of the total 16.6 kilometers of the East-West Metro, 10.8 kilometers consist of an underground corridor between Howrah Maidan and Phoolbagan, including the tunnel beneath the Hooghly River, while the remaining stretch is elevated. The project has been dubbed as a marvel, with trains traveling approximately 16 meters below the river's surface.  The metro



authorities anticipate a daily ridership of 7 lakh people.

Apart from the historic underwater rail service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also inaugurate Pune Metro from Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi stretch; Kochi Metro Rail Phase I Extension project (Phase IB) from SN Junction Metro station to Tripunithura Metro station; Agra Metro's stretch from Taj East Gate to Mankameshwar; and Duhai-Modinagar (North) section of Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor. He will flag off train services on these sections. 

While Agra Metro’s section being inaugurated will enhance connectivity to historical tourist places, the RRTS section will boost economic activity in NCR. Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for the extension of Pune Metro Rail project phase 1 between Pimpri Chinchwad Metro and Swargate. After the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister will address a public meeting at Barasat of North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.