Kolkata: The city seems to be inching toward the much-awaited metro-airport connectivity with the completion of track laying between Dum Dum Cantontment and the airport. Once the corridor is functional, commuters will be able to zip through the Blue (New Garia-Dakshineswar), Green (Howrah Maidan-Esplanade) and Orange (Ruby-New Garia on EM Bypass) lines to the airport, via Noapara.Most significantly, Howrah station will be linked to the airport, officials said.
Metro Railway GM P Uday Kumar Reddy on Monday carried out his maiden trolley inspection along the Yellow line’s 4-km Dum Dum Cantonment-airport stretch. The airport (Jai Hind) metro station is coming up fast.
The GM also inspected the Yellow Line’s 3-km Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment stretch, riding to Noapara and Dum Dum Cantonment stations in a metro rake then taking a trolley run of the next 4 km to Jai Hind station, checking out the progress of the under-construction Jessore Road station en route.
TOI on March 28 reported that the biggest hurdle for the Dum Dum Cantonment-airport stretch has been removed and the last lot of encroachers shifted out of the metro alignment on Jessore Road. “In Feb, we managed to remove the major roadblock at Jessore Road. At that time, we thought it may be possible to open the 7-km Noapara-airport stretch by Durga Puja,” an official said.
The corridor will eventually span 16 km from Noapara to Barasat. Of this, the 3-km Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment has undergone the mandatory Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) inspection. Sources said Metro Railway is focused on reaching the airport from the Yellow Line side first rather than from the Orange (29-km New Garia-Airport) corridor. The corridor is replete with hurdles, especially its last 3.5-km leg from City Centre II to airport, and has already missed its Jan 31, 2024 deadline. Afcons Infrastructure, contracted with the Rs 533-crore project, is struggling with various issues, including construction of the Chinar Park metro station.
“The Yellow Line will be the city’s first metro connectivity to the airport. Once it reaches the airport, you could travel from New Garia to the airport, interchanging at Noapara. Those from Bypass can come to New Garia and switch to the Blue Line to Noapara, on to the airport. People from Howrah can use Green Line’s Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section to reach the airport via Noapara,” an official said.