Operational after 16 years: All you need to know about the East-West Metro moves
Telegraph | 24 August 2025
A 2.45 km stretch of the East-West Metro was inaugurated on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making the entire 16.6km — from Howrah to Sector V — finally operational 16 years after the construction began.
Metro gives a lowdown on the corridor that is supposed to change how Calcutta commutes.
East-West Metro
A Metro route from Salt Lake’s Sector V till Howrah Maidan, a distance of 16.6km from the eastern part of the city to its west.
The journey:
Underground: 10.8km; Elevated: 5.8km
Underground stations: 6
Elevated stations: 6
USP
The only Metro in the country that goes under a river. A 520m stretch of the tracks passes through a tunnel under the Hooghly.
Operator
The railway ministry is the majority stakeholder with a 74 per cent share while the Union urban development ministry holds 26 per cent. The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation is the implementing agency but Metro Rail is in charge of operations.
Project cost
The original projected cost was ₹4,874.58 crore, sanctioned in 2008-09. But delays as well as the fluctuating rupee have raised the cost. More than ₹11,000 crore have been spent.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Union government, mainly the railways have borne the cost.
Construction started
April 2009
Many Hurdles
Work was first delayed when settlers at Duttabad in Salt Lake held it up on a 365-metre overhead stretch. Work on the entire stretch was stalled for nearly four years. In January 2016, the tunnel boring work resumed from Howrah Maidan after the government relocated the encroachers.
Next up was the state government’s reluctance to acquire land in Bowbazar in the face of opposition from businessmen. The route was changed, adding nearly 2km to the journey.
A stretch in Bowbazar, between Sealdah and Esplanade, has seen four incidents of water leakage and soil subsidence since 2019.