The PM will also inaugurate the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and the Taratala-Majerhat metro sections, it said. “With a focus on enhancing avenues for ensuring ease of urban mobility, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Kolkata Metro’s Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section in the East-West Metro corridor,” it said. He will also launch the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay metro section of the Kavi Subhash-Airport line and the Taratala-Majerhat section, which is a part of the Joka-Esplanade line, the release said.

The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade metro section has the first transportation tunnel under a river in India. It passes under the Hooghly River, on the east and west banks of which are situated Kolkata and Howrah cities, respectively.

The Howrah station is also the deepest metro station in India, it added.

As per officials, the 4.80 km stretch from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade (underwater metro) stretch of the Green Line of the East-West Metro Corridor will have three stations — Howrah Maidan, Howrah Station Complex, and BBD Bagh (Mahakaran).

As of now, the Kolkata Metro has three operational lines — Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash; Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah; and Joka to Taratala. Three other lines are in various phases of construction.

The Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay stretch between New Garia and Ruby is a 5.4-km-long stretch. It is a part of Kavi Subhash to Jai Hind Airport station via Rajarhat. The plan is to link the North-South Metro with the New Garia-Airport corridor at the Kavi Subhas terminal (South Kolkata). The 13.27-km-long Joka to Taratala corridor, which is already operational, has been extended by another 1.24 km to Majerhat. — With PTI