New Yr push: Work starts for Yellow Line’s Birati stn
Times of India | 3 January 2026
Kolkata: Construction of the metro line between airport and Birati began with a puja on Friday.
TOI reported on Aug 5, 2024, that Kolkata Metro's Yellow Line had gained traction. Armed with clearances from Airports Authority of India (AAI), bids were invited for the 6.8 km extension from airport to Birati. In June, TOI reported that the Rs 1,330 crore civil construction contract was bagged by Cemindia Projects Ltd (formerly ITD-ITD Cementation, which built the Green Line.
On Friday, in the presence of Metro Railway GM Subhransu Sekhar Mishra and senior AAI officials, the Cemindia crew initiated the underground construction on AAI land near the Birati crossing. The work began with construction of the diaphragm, or D-wall, which demarcates the station box area from the rest of the soil. Cemindia deployed a trench cutter to facilitate the D-wall construction for the station box, which will span 325 m.
Cemindia has a 910-day deadline to complete construction of a 3.5 km metro tunnel between Jai Hind (airport) and Birati stations, the underground station building at Birati, and subways for Birati and Micheal Nagar stations. Cemindia will also construct all the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems such as firefighting, ventilation systems, 750 V DC traction, third rail ballastless tracks, sanitation, and drainage systems at Birati station.
The Yellow Line will eventually span around 12 km to Barasat. PM Modi launched the Yellow Line's 7 km Noapara-airport section in Aug 2025, gifting the city its first airport-metro link. However, construction beyond airport was a major challenge for Metro Railway.
The Yellow Line got a fillip after the issue with the proposed site of the New Barrackpore station and its conflict with flights coming in to land at Kolkata airport was resolved after the station site was shifted near New Barrackpore crossing. This station may be named Netaji Nagar.