Completion of girder launching at Chingrighata has revived hopes of faster progress on several stalled Kolkata Metro projects. Metro Railway is aiming for December 2026 to open the Beleghata to IT Centre section so Orange Line passengers can interchange with the Green Line at Sector V and reach Howrah Maidan. The authority is targeting December 2027 for extension of services to the airport.

Metro Railway chief public relations officer S S Kannan said the Chingrighata work removed a major bottleneck on the New Garia?Airport corridor and that girder launching finished three hours ahead of schedule, with traffic on the EM Bypass restored at five am. The Orange Line had been stalled for one and a half years at the crossing because elevated viaduct construction required prolonged traffic diversions that were not earlier granted. Permission for temporary blocks allowed work to start and officials said progress has resumed.

Officials said the work was carried out in two phases over successive weekends, with RVNL first completing a 28 metre span between piers 317 and 318 before bridging a 34 metre span between piers 318 and 319. On the Joka?Esplanade Purple Line, work around Park Street has reached an advanced stage but relocation of B C Roy Market at Esplanade remains a hurdle. The corridor could take another two to two and a half years before services reach Esplanade, planned as a major interchange for three metro lines and buses.

On the Airport?Barasat corridor, tunnelling has passed the airport station and work between the airport and Michael Nagar is progressing quickly, although land related issues towards Barasat persist and meetings have been scheduled to resolve them. Officials indicated the Barasat extension could take another three years. Kavi Subhash station is expected to reopen before Durga Puja after completion of technical civil engineering work, the closure having been imposed purely for passenger safety.

Officials said the Barrackpore Metro project remains sanctioned and RVNL is studying alignment options that are likely to favour an elevated solution. The Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on X that the 62 metre viaduct gap had been bridged and that final works were completed with night traffic blockades over two successive weekends, allowing the busy crossing to reopen three hours ahead of schedule.