CRS may inspect E-W Metro’s Esp-Sealdah section on April 14
Times of India | 5 April 2025
Kolkata: The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) may inspect the East-West Metro's upcoming Esplanade-Sealdah section on April 14, according to sources. Before that, the state fire safety department may inspect the stretch on April 8, they added. A fire safety clearance is a prerequisite for a CRS inspection and the subsequent approval.
TOI on Friday reported that PM Narendra Modi may launch the East-West Metro's last 2.6 km leg and the Orange Line's 4.5 km Ruby-Metropolitan stretch (between Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Beleghata Metro stations) on April 24. CRS, the autonomous body under the ministry of civil aviation, provides the mandatory safety operations for revenue operations of any new Metro line in India. The Orange Line's new section received CRS approval nearly a year ago. However, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which is implementing the 29km New Garia-Airport Metro project, also known as the Orange Line, revised the corridor's Phase II by attempting to complete another 4 km till Sector V. It has now reverted to the original Phase II plans.
A Metro official said: "We were asked to keep the Esplanade-Sealdah section ready for a visit by a team from the fire and safety department this Tuesday and the CRS inspection on April 14. The PM is supposed to inaugurate the stretch on April 24. But then, the Prime Minister's plans may change at the last minute."
Spokespersons of Metro Railway, which runs the city's rapid transit network, are not confirming the launch of the new Metro lines or the impending CRS inspection of the East-West Metro or the Green Line's last leg. However, sources working at the ground level and some senior officials have admitted to a plethora of activities in both Metro lines "in the run-up to the April 24 inauguration".
The launch of the East-West Metro's last 2.6 km stretch will be a milestone for the city, as passengers can travel 16.6 km across Sector V and Howrah Maidan below the Hooghly. The corridor has a projected daily ridership of 7 lakhs. The East-West Metro has an interface with the North-South or Blue Line (which is used by around 5.5 lakh people daily) at Esplanade.
The commissioning of the Orange Line's Ruby-Beleghata section will mean commuters can travel around 40 km from the North-South line's terminal Dakshineswar Metro station to the Orange Line's Barun Sengupta station at Science City or the Beleghata station at Metropolitan on EM Bypass on a single ticket, for around Rs 45.