Trial run starts on city’s first airport metro link
Times of India | 15 December 2024
12 Kolkata: Trial runs for Kolkata's first airport metro link started on Saturday.
"The maiden trial run along the Noapara-Jai Hind (airport metro station) section of the Yellow Line was conducted successfully on Saturday," a Metro spokesperson said. Jai Hind is the terminal station of the 6.2km Phase I of the 16-km Yellow line, which will eventually connect Barasat in North 24-Parganas with Noapara.
Metro Railway, which is implementing the city's Yellow Line, is chasing a March 2025 deadline to commission the Noapara-airport stretch. The test run started from Noapara at 4.20 pm as a Medha rake, MR 407, from the Noapara car shed rolled out. Devindar Kumar, chief engineer, construction, Metro Railway, along with senior officers and staff of Metro Railway, were present. Kumar offered puja at Dum Dum Cantonment, the station after Noapara, once the rake reached there. Noapara is already a functioning station of the North-South or New Garia-Dakshineswar corridor. Like Noapara, Dum Dum Cantonment is also an elevated station. Jessore Road and Jai Hind or airport stations are underground.
"The trial run was conducted to check whether all the parameters of the 6.2-km stretch between Noapara and Jai Hind are ready for commercial operations and if a rake can travel through the section safely. Once commissioned, the Noapara-airport Metro will be a revolutionary step in providing a modern transportation to the people of Kolkata and those from the suburbs. They can directly reach the airport. The Noapara Metro station will be the passenger interchanging point between the Blue (North-South) and Yellow lines," the Metro official said.
The trials will continue on Monday mainly to inspect the 4-km section between Dum Dum Cantonment and Jai Hind stations. The 3-km Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment stretch already has the mandatory approval for revenue operations from the Commission of Railway Safety. But Metro Railway revised its earlier plans to open the 3-km stretch and decided to extend Phase I by another 4 km to the airport.