Kolkata: The Airport-New Metro, which received the highest allocation of Rs 1,791 crore in the interim budget may get more funds in the general budget on Tuesday. The Orange Line aims to extend the service 8 km beyond Ruby crossing till Metropolitan by Dec. All eyes will be trained on East-West Metro, which is expected to complete the 16km corridor with services at either end being bridged after trains start plying between Sealdah and Esplanade.The Salt Lake-Howrah Maidan Green Line had received an allocation of Rs 900 crore.
The East-West Metro, which currently operates in two disjointed stretches, one between Sector V and Sealdah and the other between Esplanade and Howrah Maidan, has an interface with the Orange Line at Sector V. When E-W’s 2.5km Esplanade-Sealdah section is completed, passengers can board the metro from Howrah Maidan, cover 16km under the Hooghly to Sector V, switch over to the Orange Line and alight at any of the stations on Salt Lake bypass and EM Bypass.
The 3km Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment section or Phase 1 of the Yellow Line underwent safety checks in March. “We expect the section to be launched any time,” a railways official said. The 16km Noapara-Barasat Metro or the Yellow Line received a paltry Rs 200 crore because of land logjams beyond airport. But the airport ‘Jai Hind’ station was shaping up fast and might be connected to the Yellow Line in the next few months, an official said. He said more funds might be allocated for the Yellow Line in the budget as a major hurdle in the way of the airport-New Barrackpore section had been cleared with Airports Authority of India allowing the use of 18m-tall cranes at the construction site. AAI has also given the NOC to Metro Railway to work outside the airport and Micheal Nagar.
Commuters can ride all the way from Ruby crossing (Orange Line) to Dum Dum Cantonment because the 5.5km New Garia-Ruby line has an interchange with the North-South or Blue Line at New Garia. Once the Yellow Line opens, Noapara will have two metro lines—the existing Blue Line that terminates at Dakshineswar and the new Yellow Line that will go up to Dum Dum Cantonment.
Hectic work is on on the 5km underground section of the Joka-Esplanade or Purple Line, which received Rs 1,200 crore in Feb. Construction of the Victoria Metro station has started.