Railway Board Chairman Inspects East West Metro Tunnel Under Hooghly River

Railway Board Chairman and CEO Jaya Varma Sinha conducted an inspection of the East West Metro's Howrah Maidan to Esplanade stretch. During the inspection, she traveled in a train through the groundbreaking tunnel beneath the River Hooghly, marking a significant milestone as the country's first of its kind. The focus of her examination included a thorough assessment of passenger amenities, as well as the safety and security measures to be implemented. Sinha's journey took her from Howrah Maidan station to Esplanade station, providing an opportunity for a comprehensive review of the project's advancements. Engaging in detailed discussions with Metro Railway General Manager P Uday Kumar Reddy and other senior officials from both Metro and the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL), she gained insights into the project's status. Officials apprised Sinha of the project's progress, and she emphasized the importance of ensuring all necessary passenger safety measures before the stretch's commissioning. The East West Metro project aims to connect Sector V in Salt Lake, West Bengal's IT hub, to Howrah Maidan, covering a distance of 16.55 km. Presently, a 9.30 km segment between Sector V and Sealdah is operational. However, the completion of the Sealdah to Esplanade section has faced delays due to incidents at Bowbazar in central Kolkata during tunnelling work. An aquifer burst on August 31, 2019, resulted in severe ground subsidence and building collapses. Further, two water leakage incidents at the same site in 2022 contributed to additional project delays.