120-650: The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the Kolkata Metropolitan Region in West Bengal , India . Opened in 1984, it was the first operational rapid transit system in India. As of October 2024, it has four operational lines: the 32.13 km (19.96 mi) long Line 1 (Blue Line) from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash , 14.1 km (8.8 mi) long Line 2 (Green Line) from Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah Maidan (excluding
240-481: A committee was set up by W. E. Crum that recommended a metro line for Kolkata (formerly Calcutta ). This line was supposed to connect Bagmari in the east to Benaras Road, Salkia , in Howrah in the west via a tunnel beneath Hooghly River . The estimated construction costs were £3,526,154, about ₹ 36.4 crore (equivalent to ₹ 70 billion or US$ 840 million in 2023) based on current exchange rates, and
360-416: A day and ₹ 550 (equivalent to ₹ 650 or US$ 7.80 in 2023), valid for three days. A security deposit of ₹ 60 (equivalent to ₹ 71 or 85¢ US in 2023) is also charged. The metro railway runs special night-long services during Durga Puja (Maha Saptami to Maha Navami) to help people travel faster and more conveniently for pandal-hopping . The services start at 13:00 and operate till 04:00
480-598: A distance of 34 km in an hour and fifteen minutes. This made it the Asia's first suburban railway . At the turn of the 20th century, tram systems began to sprawl across the four major cities of India, viz. Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, and helped local population to meet their intracity transportation needs. Horse-drawn tram was first introduced in Kolkata in 1873 and the electric trams began to operate in Chennai in 1895, later
600-548: A metro system was mooted by government of West Bengal in 1949-50 and a survey was conducted by French experts. However, the proposal could not be brought into the effect and India had to wait for its first metro service. It was twenty three years later when the foundation stone was laid in Kolkata in 1972 to commence the construction of the ambitious metro system. On 24 October 1984, India saw its first metro system operational in Kolkata. After several struggles and bureaucratic hurdles,
720-470: A mix of underground, at-grade, and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. It operates on a 750 V DC Third rail system. Trains operate between 06:50 and 22:40 IST and the fares range from ₹5 to ₹50. The Kolkata Metro was initially planned in the 1920s, but construction started in the 1970s. The first underground stretch, from Bhawanipore (now Netaji Bhawan ) to Esplanade , opened in 1984. A truncated section of Line 2, or
840-409: A monorail system. The issues such as low ridership, inefficient track maintenance (accessibility of the tracks during maintenance as well as the time taken to repair the tracks), train slowing down at the switches and for the fact that the monorail tracks had to be entirely elevated with a dedicated depot and set of rolling stocks, raised the concerns on feasibility, cost of construction and operation of
960-497: A nine coach EMU is made up of three units having one power car at each end and one at the middle. The rakes in the suburban rails run on 25 kV AC . Ridership on India's suburban railways has risen from 1.2 million in 1970–71 to 4.4 million in 2012–13. The suburban railways of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai occupy no more than 7.1% of the Indian Railways network, but account for 53.2% of all railway passengers. In some cities of India,
1080-406: A project deadline of six years. The link between Kavi Subhash and Jai Hind , to be set up at a cost of ₹ 4,259.50 crore (equivalent to ₹ 50 billion or US$ 600 million in 2023), will have 24 stations with the terminal Jai Hind metro station being an underground one. The work is executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited. Jai Hind metro station will also have a stabling yard, and will be
1200-477: A regular metro or a light rail system. There are currently 17 operational rapid transit (Officially and popularly known as 'Metro') systems in seventeen cities across India, with Delhi Metro being the largest. As of July 2024, India has 939.18 kilometres (583.58 miles ) of operational metro lines in 17 cities. India's metro network is the third longest in the world , behind China and USA. A further 779.27 km of lines are under construction. Apart from
1320-459: A report published in 2021, a total of 2.63 billion people traveled annually in metro systems across India's fifteen major cities, placing the country as one of the busiest urban rapid transit hubs in the world in terms of commuters. As of 2024, the cumulative length of 923.2 kilometres (573.6 miles ) of seventeen metro systems in India makes it the third longest in operation in the world. The Ministry of Urban Development's Urban Transport wing
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#17328548212291440-566: A single type of Smart Card (General Smart Card) was introduced. Two new types of Tourist Smart Cards were also introduced (Tourist Smart Card – I and Tourist Smart Card – II). There is a compulsory refundable security deposit of ₹ 60 (equivalent to ₹ 71 or 85¢ US in 2023). The card is common for both the Blue line and the Green line. Online smart card recharge facility was launched on 1 July 2020. These smart cards are not required to be submitted to
1560-428: A speed of 160 kmph with average operational speed of 100 kmph. Indian cities have various types of urban transit systems operational, under construction and planned. These systems are being implemented based on the population of a city, financial feasibility and demand. Note: Suburban rail and Vande Metro in India utilises the broad gauge network of Indian Railways and mostly shares the network and infrastructure with
1680-507: A stretch of 3.4 km was opened with five stations on the line. On 1 November 1995, the Chennai MRTS began its operations, becoming the first elevated railway line in India and also the country's longest elevated mass rapid transit corridor spanning 17 km. The first concept of an urban rapid transit system in Delhi came out during 1969, when a traffic and travel characteristics study
1800-542: A survey, but nothing concrete materialized. Efforts to solve the traffic problem by augmenting the existing fleet of public transport vehicles hardly helped, since roads accounted for only 4.2 percent of the surface area in Kolkata, compared with 25 percent in Delhi and 30 percent in other cities. To find alternative solutions, the Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP) was set up in 1969. The MTP, with
1920-430: A total of 50 operational stations with a further 29 under construction. Additionally, there is one more line proposed, The planned network will have a total of 21 stations, further expanding the metro's reach and capacity. The planned network consists of the entirety of Line 5 ; the extension of Line 2 to Teghoria and the extension of Line 4 to Barasat . (except between Esplanade - Sealdah ) Line 1, or
2040-469: Is Mumbai Suburban Railway which started operations in 1853. The Kolkata Suburban Railway has the largest network in the entire country. The Chennai Suburban Railway started its operations in 1931. Suburban trains that handle commuter traffic are all electric multiple units (EMUs). They usually have nine or twelve coaches, sometimes even fifteen to handle rush hour traffic. One unit of an EMU train consists of one power car and two general coaches. Thus
2160-429: Is India's first metro line to run on indigenous head hardened rails, manufactured by Jindal Steel & Power . The extension of this line to IIM and Diamond Park for 2 km (1.2 mi) was sanctioned in the 2012–2013 Budget at a cost of ₹ 294.49 crore (equivalent to ₹ 555 crore or US$ 67 million in 2023). The work is being executed by RVNL. The line has 3 phases: The Mominpur metro station
2280-409: Is a cheap and efficient mode of urban transit which serves for a lower demand. This list excludes Trolleybus or 'Metro Neo' systems which do not use rails. Approved Proposed 91 km (57 mi) In addition to trains, trams were introduced in many cities in the late 19th century, though almost all of these were phased out. The Kolkata Tram is currently
2400-635: Is a rail service between a central business district and the suburbs, a conurbation or other locations that draw large numbers of people daily. The trains are called suburban trains. These trains are also referred to as "local trains" or "locals". The suburban rail systems in Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow–Kanpur and Bengaluru do not have dedicated suburban tracks but share tracks with long-distance trains. The suburban rail system of Mumbai , Kolkata and Chennai have both dedicated tracks and tracks shared with long-distance trains. The first suburban rail system in India
2520-483: Is available on Google Maps . Kolkata Metro has launched its own official mobile app 'Metro Ride Kolkata' for android & iOS smartphone users which provides information regarding station, train timing, fare and has online smart card recharge facility along with mobile QR code ticketing. In 2008, the Kolkata Metro Railway experimented with the practice of reserving two entire compartments for women. This system
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#17328548212292640-497: Is based on the predetermined distance formulas. Kolkata Metro has the lowest starting fare in the country of ₹ 5 (equivalent to ₹ 6.00 or 7.2¢ US in 2023). For Blue Line, the fare ranges from ₹ 5 (equivalent to ₹ 6.00 or 7.2¢ US in 2023) to ₹ 25 (equivalent to ₹ 29 or 35¢ US in 2023),for Green Line , its ₹ 5 (equivalent to ₹ 6.00 or 7.2¢ US in 2023) to ₹ 30 (equivalent to ₹ 35 or 42¢ US in 2023), for Purple Line,
2760-734: Is being executed by Metro Railway, Kolkata. Due to multiple delays and hurdles, the total cost of the project had grown to ₹ 4,829.57 crore (equivalent to ₹ 65 billion or US$ 770 million in 2023). Following an objection from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the route was further reworked. Instead of using the Circular Line 's Jessore Road and Biman Bandar railway station , Jessore Road and Jai Hind metro station were planned at-grade and underground, respectively. This stretch will continue underground till Barasat after Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's approval which
2880-449: Is being executed by RVNL. This section is opened on 23 February 2021 for general public with a projected ridership of 55,000 by 2030. An upgrade of the existing signaling system from Indian Railways Signalling to Communication Based Train Control was proposed by Metro Railway, Kolkata, at a cost of ₹ 467 crore (equivalent to ₹ 550 crore or US$ 66 million in 2023), and
3000-487: Is expected to be started after conversation of third rail (which is expected to be completed within 2 years) and will be completed within 2–3 years. Green Line or Line 2 , is the metro corridor to connect Kolkata with Howrah by an underwater tunnel below the Hooghly River . The length was supposed to be 14.67 km (9.12 mi), 8.9 km (5.5 mi) underground and 5.77 km (3.59 mi) elevated. However,
3120-596: Is running, all four platforms will be operational, whereas, from 6 March 2024, all four platforms of Kavi Subhash will be operational. The existing Esplanade metro station was upgraded and a subway was constructed to the new metro station to provide an interchange among Line 1, Line 2 and future Line 3 . In 2009–2010, Line 1 underwent upgrades of services and amenities and many stations were renamed after famous personalities by then Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee. The Kolkata Metro currently operates with four lines: Line 1 , Line 2 , Line 3 , and Line 6 . These lines have
3240-455: Is service), a nationwide awareness and mobilization campaign on cleanliness, plastic bottle crushers were placed at multiple stations. Urban rail transit in India Urban rail transit in India plays an important role in intracity transportation in the major cities which are highly populated. It consists of rapid transit , suburban rail , monorail , and tram systems. According to
3360-529: Is the Kolkata Metro , which started operations in 1984. Kolkata Metro also currently has the only underwater metro line in the country. The Delhi Metro has the largest network in the entire country. In 2006, the National Urban Transport Policy had proposed the construction of a metro rail system in every city with a population of at least 20 lakh (2 million) people. From 2002 to 2014,
3480-541: Is the first and only operational monorail system used for urban transit in India. Many other Indian cities had planned monorail projects, as a feeder system to the metro, but after the Mumbai monorail failed with multiple issues, other cities are reconsidering the plan and may go ahead with much efficient and proven modes of transport such as the Light rail transit system. Approved Proposed Neo
3600-453: Is the nodal division for coordination, appraisal, and approval of Urban Transport matters including Metro Rail Projects at the central level. All the interventions in urban transport by the Ministry of Urban Development are carried out as per the provisions of the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006. The Delhi Meerut RRTS is the fastest Urban Transit system in India currently that can run at
3720-445: Is under consideration. Defunct Replaced with other modes Light rail transit (LRT) or popularly known as Metrolite in India, is a form of urban rail transit characterized by a combination of rapid transit and tram systems. It usually operates at a higher capacity than trams, and often on an exclusive right-of-way similar to rapid transit. Several tier-2 cities in India have opted it since it
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3840-473: The AFC gates at the arriving station and can be carried by the passengers. These cards are required to be recharged if the previously recharged money is already spent. Two new types of Tourist Smart Cards were also introduced (Tourist Smart Card – I and Tourist Smart Card – II). This type of smart card is for tourists and has unlimited rides. They cost ₹ 250 (equivalent to ₹ 290 or US$ 3.50 in 2023), valid for
3960-500: The Cape of Good Hope (the Suez Canal did not then exist). In April 1854, it was estimated that over 100,000 tons of rails, 27,000 tons of chairs, and some 8000 tons of keys, fish-plates, pins, nuts and bolts were needed. By 1859, there were 77 engines, 228 coaches and 848 freight wagons. By the end of 1877 the company owned 507 steam locomotives, 982 coaches and 6,701 goods wagons. In 1900
4080-852: The East Indian Railway ( reporting mark EIR ), introduced railways to East India and North India , while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway , South Indian Railway , Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway and the North-Western Railway operated in other parts of India. The company was established on 1 June 1845 in London by a deed of settlement with a capital of £4,000,000, largely raised in London. The first board of directors formed in 1845 comprised thirteen members and Rowland Macdonald Stephenson became
4200-504: The Kalyani Expressway . Eleven metro stations were planned on this route. A connection between New Garia and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (29.87 km [18.56 mi]) via EM Bypass, Salt Lake and Rajarhat-New Town was sanctioned to reduce travel time between the southern fringes of Kolkata and the airport. Work on this line was inaugurated by the then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on 7 February 2011 with
4320-514: The Kavi Subhash - Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section was inaugurated, completing the 5.4 km Phase 1 stretch. In 2012, RITES , surveyed 16 new routes for connecting the suburban areas to the city. The key routes were: Since the formation of the Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP) in 1969, Kolkata Metro has always been under the Indian Railways , directly or indirectly. It is the only metro in
4440-479: The Kolkata Metro (which has its own zone under Indian Railways), these rapid transit metro lines are not operated by Indian Railways , but a separate set of local authorities. In addition to their metro systems, the cities of Chennai and Hyderabad have mass transit systems operated by the Indian Railways, known as the Chennai MRTS and the Hyderabad MMTS , respectively. The first rapid transit system in India
4560-459: The Orange Line metro. The line from Sector-V to Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated on 13 February 2020 by the then Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal after 11 years of construction. Services to Phoolbagan metro station , the first underground station of the line, were extended on 4 October 2020. The extension added 1.66 km (1.03 mi) to the existing line. On July 11, 2022, this line
4680-506: The Viceroy Lord Elgin , Lt Governor Sir Cecil Beadon and others over two days to Benares inspecting the line on the way. They stopped the first night at Jamalpur near Monghyr . They alighted at the Son bridge and inspected it. In Benares there was a durbar on 7 February to celebrate the building of the railway and particularly the bridging of the Son river, the largest tributary of
4800-476: The fiscal year rather than the calendar year . Under construction Approved Proposed Scrapped 1.5 km (0.93 mi) India has a total of 38 lines of metro under operation. Note : Only operational lines are listed. Suburban rail plays a major role in the public transport system of many major Indian cities. These services are operated by Indian Railways . Suburban rail
4920-472: The "East–West Tube Railway", was proposed for Kolkata in 1921 by Harley Dalrymple-Hay . All the reports can be found in his 1921 book Calcutta Tube Railways. However, in 1923, the proposal was not undertaken due to a lack of funds. Then the Chief Minister of West Bengal , Bidhan Chandra Roy , reconceived the idea of an underground railway for Kolkata from 1949 to 1950. A team of French experts conducted
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5040-501: The "last option" and implement it only after considering all other possible mass rapid transit systems. The decision was taken due to the high cost of constructing metro rail systems. In August 2017, the Union Government announced that it would not provide financial assistance to the new metro rail project unless some sort of private partnership is involved. MMRC (7.6 mi) ^* Indicates ridership figures based on
5160-409: The 2010–2011 budget. This line was meant to enable a quick commute from the northernmost suburbs to South Kolkata . The work corridor is being executed by RVNL. As of May 2021, no physical construction has commenced, and the project has been stalled as metro construction would affect the water pipelines along Barrackpore Trunk Road . To avoid this, another proposal was made to continue this line through
5280-626: The Blue Line and Green line at Esplanade and Blue line at Park street. The proposed Esplanade station will not be the same as that of the Blue Line but a different station that will also serve the Green Line. The line now has a new depot in Joka . Due to land acquisition problems and objections from the Ministry of Defence , construction has been delayed several times since the beginning. Defence Ministry objected that
5400-431: The Blue Line to an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to New Garia was constructed and opened in two phases, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to Kavi Nazrul in 2009 and Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. Another extension constructed was the 2.59 km (1.61 mi) elevated corridor from Dum Dum to Noapara in 2013. The last 4.13 km (2.57 mi) extension from Noapara to Dakshineswar opened in 2021, thus completing
5520-559: The Blue line, of Kolkata Metro ( Bengali : কলকাতা নগরীরেল ) has a total length of 32.13 kilometres (19.96 mi) serving 26 stations , of which 15 are underground, 9 are elevated and 2 at-grade. It uses the 5 ft 6 in ( 1,676 mm ) broad gauge tracks. It was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first trains running in October 1984 and the full stretch that had been initially planned completed and operational by February 1995. The southward extension of
5640-554: The Blue line. A northward extension from Dum Dum to Dakshineswar (6.20 km [3.85 mi]) was sanctioned and included in the 2010–2011 budget at a cost of ₹ 227.53 crore (equivalent to ₹ 510 crore or US$ 61 million in 2023). The commercial operations for Dum Dum to Noapara (2.09 km [1.30 mi]) were commissioned in March 2013, and construction from Noapara to Dakshineswar with an interchange with Line 5 at Baranagar (2.38 km [1.48 mi])
5760-479: The Dum Dum–Belgachhia stretch, was opened on 13 August 1994. Another 0.71 km (0.44 mi) stretch from Esplanade to Chandni Chowk was commissioned shortly afterward, on 2 October 1994. The Shyambazaar - Shobhabazar – Girish Park (1.93 km [1.20 mi]) and Chandni Chowk – Central (0.60 km [0.37 mi]) sections were opened on 19 February 1995. Services on the entire stretch of
5880-756: The East Indian Railway Company's managing director Macdonald Stephenson, George Turnbull , the company's Chief Engineer, and the engineer Slater made an initial survey from Howrah (across the River Hooghly from Calcutta ) to Burdwan on the route to the Raniganj coalfields. By June, there was an impasse, in that the government did not allow Turnbull and his engineers to mark a route on the ground. Specifications for works were however advertised on 1 July and tenders received on 31 July for six contracts. Bamboo towers 80 feet (24 m) tall were then built above
6000-806: The East–West Corridor, from Salt Lake Sector V to Phoolbagan opened in 2020. Line 3, or the Joka-Esplanade Corridor (currently truncated in Majerhat ), opened in 2022 while Line 6, from Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay , opened in 2024. It is the second busiest metro network in India after the Delhi Metro and is the fifth-longest operational metro network in India after the Delhi Metro, Namma Metro , Hyderabad Metro , and Mumbai Metro . Metro Railway, Kolkata and Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation are
6120-456: The Ganges tributaries to be built of bricks: hundreds of millions were needed. Brick-making skills were very limited and often the available clay was found to be unsuitable. Transport by river of suitable clay was difficult. Brick availability became a major problem, so the decision was made to use vast quantities of ironwork – imported from England as India had no iron works at that time. Much ironwork
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#17328548212296240-485: The Ganges. The Chief Engineer responsible for all this construction from 1851 to 1862 was George Turnbull who was acclaimed in the Indian Official Gazette of 7 February 1863 paragraph 5 as the "First railway engineer of India" . Some historians like Irfan Habib argue that because the contracts signed between East India Company and EIR in 1849 guaranteed 5% return on all capital invested, initially there
6360-490: The H-piles were cut manually. This extended the tunneling process by one and a half months. In September 2019, during the construction of the eastbound tunnel (from Esplanade to Sealdah ), a TBM hit an aquifer under Bowbazar, causing a major collapse in the area, delaying work in that section for several months. Around 80 houses were damaged and many buildings were declared unsafe, affecting more than 600 people. Later subsidence in
6480-541: The Indian metro infrastructure expanded by 248 km. Later on 11 August 2014, Union Government had announced that it would provide financial assistance for the implementation of a metro rail system to all Indian cities having a population of more than 1 million. In May 2015, the Union Government approved the Union Urban Development Ministry's proposal to implement metro rail systems in 50 cities, with
6600-451: The Metro were introduced from 27 September 1995 by bridging the 1.80 km (1.12 mi) gap with Mahatma Gandhi Road metro station in the middle. In 1999–2000, the extension of Line 1 along an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to New Garia, with six stations, was sanctioned at a cost of ₹ 907 crore (equivalent to ₹ 39 billion or US$ 470 million in 2023). The section
6720-506: The North–South Corridor, connecting the office district of Bidhannagar with the twin city and transportation hub Howrah via another transport hub of the city, Sealdah , and the central business district Esplanade by an underwater metro line. It is a ₹ 4,874.6 crore (equivalent to ₹ 140 billion or US$ 1.6 billion in 2023) project, sanctioned in 2008 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . The foundation stone
6840-577: The Prime Minister of India inaugurated two new zones of the first six zones of the Indian Railways . One of them, the Northern Railways had the three "up-stream" divisions of East Indian Railway: Allahabad, Lucknow and Moradabad, while the other, the Eastern Railways had the three "down-stream" divisions: Howrah, Asansol and Danapur and the complete Bengal Nagpur Railway . It was labeled as
6960-612: The app offers a smart card recharge feature, allowing passengers to top up their metro cards digitally. The balance can then be updated at any Add Value Machine (AVM) located in metro stations. The app also provides real-time metro route and timing information, further enhancing the commuting experience. After introducing RFID tokens, Kolkata metro introduced a Smart Card service provided by CRIS. Earlier, four different types of smart cards were used: Minimum Multi Ride (MMR), Limited Multi Ride (LMR), General Multi Ride (GMR) and Extended Multi Ride (EMR). They were withdrawn on 7 November 2013 and
7080-521: The area was checked using grouting. By 2011–2012, the Railway Ministry had announced plans for the construction of five new metro lines and an extension of the existing north–south corridor. These were: A new four-platform interchange station was constructed at Noapara and Kavi Subhash. This acts as an interchange station for Line 1 with Line 4 and Line 6 respectively. For the time being, only two platforms are in use for Noapara, but once Line 4
7200-631: The biggest issues were the H-piles under the Esplanade metro station and the Bowbazar mishap. Per the 1971 master plan, the East-West Corridor was supposed to pass under Central metro station, so the square foundational beams in Esplanade were not removed. Since the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) cannot cut through steel, another small tunnel was dug using New Austrian tunneling method (NATM) and
7320-468: The card since 2006, when it was envisaged as a cashless fare payment system in accordance with the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 (NUTP-2006). Its aim was to provide seamless connectivity to passengers across transit systems, leading to convenience, higher digital payments penetration, savings on closed loop card lifecycle management cost, and reduced operating cost. East Indian Railway Company The East Indian Railway Company , operating as
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#17328548212297440-497: The cities of Mumbai , Kanpur , and Delhi saw trams being introduced. These services were discontinued in all Indian cities between 1933 and 1964, except for Kolkata where they operate on streets to the present day as heritage. In September 1919, during a session of the Imperial Legislative Council at Shimla , a committee was set up by W. E. Crum that recommended a metro line for Kolkata. The next proposal for
7560-412: The city, a feeder system to these services was proposed in the form of Monorail . After the construction was completed, On 1 February 2014, Mumbai Monorail became the first of its kind in India. In the early 2010s, many cities had conceived the plan to build monorails as the major urban transportation solution to their cities. However, Mumbai's monorail soon began to reveal the underlying problems of
7680-539: The construction of the eastbound tunnel between Sealdah metro station and Esplanade metro station , a Tunnel boring machine hit an Aquifer at Bowbazar , causing a major collapse in the area, delaying work on that section for several months. These issues have caused massive delays to the project, and foreign currency losses had led to an 80 percent cost escalation of the project to nearly ₹ 8,996.96 crore (equivalent to ₹ 130 billion or US$ 1.5 billion in 2023). Between Mahakaran and Howrah ,
7800-510: The country to be controlled by Indian Railways. On 29 December 2010, Metro Railway, Kolkata, became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways, completely owned and funded by the Ministry of Railways . Although Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation was formed with 50-50 shares of the Government of West Bengal and the Government of India, as the implementing agency of the East–West Corridor, later majority shares were transferred to Indian Railways. In July 2019,
7920-488: The crowd. All stations have display boards showing the terminating station, current time, scheduled time of arrival and estimated time of arrival of trains in Bangla , Hindi and English . Digital countdown clocks are also present in the stations. The coaches of blue and green line have line route-maps and all line have speakers and displays, which provide details of upcoming stations in the three languages. Navigation information
8040-411: The dominant mode of transport in the financial capital, Mumbai. According to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) the city bus services operating in narrow and crowded areas of the city were slow-moving and caused traffic congestion hence a rapid transit system was necessary. Since the city already had planned metro services and since the suburban railways also connected major parts of
8160-631: The elevated corridor would overlook the Eastern Command headquarters at Fort William , Ordinance Depot at Mominpore. The change in alignment from elevated to underground increased the construction cost of the stretch from ₹ 139 crore (equivalent to ₹ 164 crore or US$ 20 million in 2023) to ₹ 3,000 crore (equivalent to ₹ 35 billion or US$ 420 million in 2023). The work resumed in several phases and new bids were invited by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) in April 2020. It
8280-593: The elevated stretch up to the airport might pose a threat to aircraft, so the route was further reworked and the station was shifted underground, 150 m from the Airport terminal building. As per another revised plan, this line will continue till Barasat and the Yellow line would terminate at Jai Hind. There are also possibilities that Jai Hind metro station would serve as a junction of three lines, i.e. Noapara–Jai Hind, Kavi Subhash–Jai Hind, and Jai Hind–Barasat. On 6 March 2024,
8400-454: The existing suburban rail system. The construction began on 1 October 1998 and the first line was operational on 24 December 2002. With 348.12 kilometres (216.31 mi), the Delhi Metro went on to be the longest and by far the busiest metro system in India, which also served as a role model to other Indian cities. While the political capital of India was expanding on its success by constructing new metro lines, suburban railways remained as
8520-727: The fare ranges from ₹ 5 (equivalent to ₹ 6.00 or 7.2¢ US in 2023) to ₹ 20 (equivalent to ₹ 24 or 29¢ US in 2023) and Orange line fare range is from ₹ 5 (equivalent to ₹ 6.00 or 7.2¢ US in 2023) to ₹ 20 (equivalent to ₹ 24 or 29¢ US in 2023). After using the magnetic ticketing strip system from 1984 to 2011, Kolkata Metro introduced Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tokens by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) in partnership with Keltron in August 2011. The old magnetic strip reader gates were replaced with new RFID readers. The gates are AFC types of gates. These tokens are touched on
8640-570: The first 16 weeks, the company was delighted to carry 109,634 passengers: 83,118 third class, 21,005 second class, and 5511 first class. The gross earnings, including the receipts of a few tons of merchandise were £6793. Including branch lines this totalled 601 miles (967 kilometres). The most significant bridge was the girder bridge over the Son River (then known in English as the Soane River) which at
8760-420: The first managing director of the company. Rowland Macdonald Stephenson (later Sir Rowland, but familiarly known as Macdonald Stephenson ) and three assistants travelled from England in 1845 and "with diligence and discretion" surveyed, statistically studied and costed the potential traffic for a railway route from Calcutta (the then commercial capital of India) to Delhi via Mirzapur . They assessed that
8880-616: The following lines. Part of the 'One Nation, One Card' policy of the Government of India , the National Common Mobility Card is an inter-operable transport card that enables users to pay for multiple kinds of transport charges like metros and buses, as well as do other things like retail shopping and money withdrawal . It is enabled through the RuPay card mechanism. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs have been working on
9000-512: The future. This system allows commuters to purchase and use QR code tickets for seamless travel. Commuters can also opt for mobile QR code tickets via the Metro Ride Kolkata app , available on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store . Only one person can use a mobile ticket at a time. Users have the option to take a screenshot of the QR code ticket for easy access during travel. Additionally,
9120-444: The help of Soviet specialists, Lenmetroproekt and East German engineers, prepared a master plan to provide five rapid-transit (metro) lines for the city of Kolkata, totaling a length of 97.5 km (60.6 mi), in 1971. Three were selected for construction. These were: The highest priority was given to the busy north–south corridor between Dum Dum and Tollygunge over a length of 16.45 km (10.22 mi); work on this project
9240-416: The hurdles, services began on 24 October 1984, with the commissioning of a partial commercial service covering a distance of 3.40 km (2.11 mi) with five stations served between Esplanade and Bhowanipur (currently Netaji Bhavan ). The first metro was driven by Tapan Kumar Nath and Sanjoy Kumar Sil. The service was quickly followed by commuter services on another 2.15 km (1.34 mi) stretch in
9360-609: The land did not change. On 30 December 2022 the Joka - Taratala section and on 6 March 2024, the Taratala - Majerhat section was inaugurated remotely by Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, completing the 7.75 km Phase 1 stretch. The work of integrating the Circular Railway from Dum Dum Cantonment to Biman Bandar into a 6.249 km (3.883 mi) new metro line from Noapara to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
9480-501: The largest underground facility in the country. This line will have interchanges at Kavi Subhash (with Blue line); Salt Lake Sector V (with Green line) and Teghoria/VIP Road (again with Green line). In July 2020, bids were invited by RVNL to complete the sections left due to various reasons and hurdles. Initially, the Jai Hind metro station was planned to be elevated. However, the AAI objected that
9600-607: The line from Burdwan to Rajmahal . Divisions of East Indian Railway (1947-1952): Howrah , Asansol , Danapur , Allahabad , Moradabad and Sealdah (part of the Eastern Bengal Railway until 1942 and later the Bengal and Assam Railway until 1947, but added to the East Indian Railway during the Partition of India in 1947) All permanent way and rolling stock was transported from Britain in sailing ships to Calcutta via
9720-456: The machine to enter the station, while to exit from the destination station, it is required to submit the token into the machine. The current tokens are coin-shaped and made of plastic. The Kolkata Metro has introduced a QR code ticketing system on several lines, including the Blue Line (Line 1) , Green Line (Line 2) , and Orange Line (Line 6) , with plans to extend this system to more lines in
9840-530: The majority of the planned projects were to be implemented through special purpose vehicles, which will be established as 50:50 joint ventures between the Union and respective State Government. The Union Government would invest an estimated ₹ 5 lakh crore (US$ 60 billion). In a new draft policy unveiled in March 2017, the Central Government stated that it wanted state governments to consider metro rail as
9960-595: The maximum cost of a twin-track line would not exceed £15000 per mile if the land was available without charge. The East Indian Railway Company was then formed and raised money in London. A contract was signed between the East India Company and the East Indian Railway Company on 17 August 1849, entitling the latter to construct and operate an "experimental" line between Calcutta and Rajmahal , 161 km (100 miles) long at an estimated cost of £1 million which would be later extended to Delhi via Mirzapur. On 7 May 1850,
10080-463: The metro runs under the Hooghly River – the biggest and the only underwater metro tunnel in India. Transfer stations with railways are located at Two major railway stations, Sealdah and Howrah . A new elevated extension from Sector-V to Teghoria was sanctioned a distance of 5.5 km (3.4 mi) at a budget of ₹ 674 crore (equivalent to ₹ 969 crore or US$ 120 million in 2023) in 2016. From Teghoria , passengers can take
10200-432: The new lines significantly. For the similar reasons, almost all of the monorail systems around the world are seen in amusement parks or similar theme parks instead as a solution to the urban public transportation. A traditional light rail system soon emerged as the efficient mode but with cheaper cost and greater capacity than what monorail offered. As a result, many Indian cities replaced their monorail projects with either
10320-471: The next day. Pre-puja services are also run. All stations are equipped with closed-circuit cameras , metal detectors and baggage scanners. The Railway Protection Force provides security on the premises. Smoking is strictly prohibited in the metro premises. All stations in the Green Line have half-height and full-height platform screen doors for elevated and underground stations, respectively. All stations have televisions that broadcast news and songs. WiFi
10440-411: The north between Dum Dum and Belgachhia on 12 November 1984. The commuter service was extended to Tollygunge on 29 April 1986, covering a further distance of 4.24 km (2.63 mi), making the service available over a distance of 9.79 km (6.08 mi) and covering 11 stations. However, the services on the north section were suspended starting 26 October 1992, as this small, isolated section
10560-579: The only tram system in the country. Due to construction of Kolkata Metro Green line from Salt Lake to Howrah , just 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) of Tramline is operational in Kolkata. Defunct Unlike Broad gauge which form majority of the railway tracks in the sub-continent , metro rail lines in India are of mainly standard gauge . Projects like the Kolkata Metro and Delhi Metro used broad gauge for their earliest lines, but to procure modern foreign rakes and to adopt international standard, India went ahead with standard gauge for all
10680-449: The opening of rapid transit systems has led to a decline in the use of the suburban rail system. [REDACTED] 28 (NER) 109 km (NER) Under construction Proposed Regional Rapid Transit systems in India are passenger rail services that operate beyond the limits of urban areas , and either connect similarly sized cities, or metropolitan cities and surrounding towns/cities, outside at
10800-455: The operation of Green line was handed over to Metro Railway, Kolkata. Originally, There are a total of 358 services every day. But, the services and timings were changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as of November 2024, it operates between 06:50 and 22:40 IST . Trains operate at an average speed of 23 km/h (14.29 mph) and stop for about 10 to 20 seconds at each station, depending on
10920-691: The outer rim of a suburban belt at higher speeds. The following list excludes passenger train services provided by Indian Railways . The Delhi-Meerut RRTS, also known as RapidX, is a partly operational and under-construction semi-high-speed rail line connecting Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut is the only operational system currently. Maximum speed of 180 km/h (110 mph), operating speed of 160 km/h (100 mph), average speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) considering it stops at various station and wait times. Under construction Approved Proposed The Mumbai Monorail , which opened on 2 February 2014,
11040-467: The owners and operator of the system. On 29 December 2010, Metro Railway, Kolkata, became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways , completely owned and funded by the Ministry of Railways . It is the only metro system in the country to be controlled by Indian Railways. Around 300 daily train trips carry more than 700,000 passengers. In the September 1919 session of the Imperial Legislative Council at Shimla ,
11160-656: The palm trees at Serampore and Balli Khal to set out the line. On 29 January 1851 the East Indian Railway Company took possession of its first land. Turnbull and other British engineers began detailed surveys of the line. They chose the critical crossing point on the 5,000-foot-wide (1,500 m) Son River (the largest Ganges tributary) on 17 February. The best route to Raniganj was determined in May and June. The plans for Howrah station were submitted on 16 June. Tenders for 11 contracts arrived on 31 October 1851. In December Turnbull continued his survey: he took levels and defined
11280-501: The prevailing socio-political stance of his contemporaries in the West Bengal government. From the start of construction, the project had to contend with several problems including insufficient funds (until 1977–1978), a shifting of underground utilities, court injunctions, and an irregular supply of vital materials. In 1977, an injunction for the allocation of new funding was passed by the newly elected Jyoti Basu government. Despite all
11400-526: The project and budget overrun. It will be the last elevated station of the corridor. Now, the proposed underground Khidirpur metro station is planned at the Alipore Bodyguard Lines. There were also hurdles regarding clearance for tunneling under defence lands. In 2020, the Defence Ministry eased out the process as lease rent wasn't required anymore for tunneling as long the overground ownership of
11520-464: The project was stalled several times due to land acquisition and slum relocation issues. A major route realignment in 2013 increased the length to 16.55 km (10.28 mi). The elevated stretch is 5.77 km (3.59 mi) long while the underground stretch is 10.81 km (6.72 mi). The planned intersection with the Blue Line at Central was re-aligned to Esplanade (interchanges with Blue line and Purple line ). In September 2019, during
11640-535: The proposed deadline was 1925–1926. The proposed line was 10.4 km (6.5 mi) long, about 4 km (2.5 mi) shorter than the current East-West Corridor , which would connect East Bengal Railway in Bagmari and East Indian Railway in Benaras Road. The tickets were priced at 3 annas ( ₹ 0.1875) for the full trip. Crum also mentioned a north–south corridor back then. An east–west metro railway connection, named
11760-626: The rail connections between Calcutta and Delhi and Calcutta and Bombay. On 31 December 1879, the British Indian Government purchased the East Indian Railway Company, but leased it back to the company to work under a contract terminable in 1919. On 1 January 1925 the British Indian Government took over the management of the East Indian Railway and divided it into six divisions: Howrah , Asansol , Danapur , Allahabad , Lucknow and Moradabad . On 14 April 1952, Jawaharlal Nehru ,
11880-493: The rest of Indian Railway services. Note: Light Rail systems are mostly fenced and can be built with complete right of way if preferred so. The first-ever mode of the urban rail transit system in India was commuter rail (or suburban rail), built in Mumbai on 16 April 1853. The first passenger train was flagged off from Bori Bunder (present-day Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai ) from where it travelled to Thane , covering
12000-471: The sharp gradient from Taratala metro station . After a series of discussions and consultations with the Ministry of Defence and Government of West Bengal in 2016, it was decided to shift the station around 1 km (0.62 mi) northward, near the Alipore Bodyguard Lines. But, after a year Defence Ministry approved the Mominpur metro station in its original location as the change in alignment would have delayed
12120-629: The time was understood to be the second longest in the world. Other significant bridges were the girder bridges over the Kiul and Hullohur rivers and the masonry bridge over the Adjai . The Monghyr tunnel was a challenge. In late 1859, a horrific cholera epidemic in the Rajmahal district killed some 4000 labourers and many of the British engineers. On 5 February 1863, a special train from Howrah took George Turnbull,
12240-435: The under construction section between Sealdah and Esplanade ), 7.75 km (4.82 mi) long Line 3 (Purple Line) from Joka to Majerhat and 5.4 km (3.4 mi) long Line 6 (Orange Line) from Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay for a total of 59.38 km (36.90 mi). Two other lines named Line 4 (Yellow Line) and Line 5 (Pink Line) are in various phases of construction and planning. The system has
12360-507: The wagon stock was under 14,000 wagons, in 1905 it was over 17,000 wagons. In 1907 five steam railcar from Nasmyth, Wilson and Company was purchased. Although immense quantities of sal tree wood for sleepers were delivered from Nepal , yet more were needed. So fir sleepers from the Baltic were creosoted in England and shipped to India. The initial plans were for the many bridges over
12480-527: Was approved on 1 June 1972. A tentative deadline was fixed to complete all the corridors by 1991. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Indira Gandhi , the Prime Minister of India , on 29 December 1972, and construction work started in 1973–74. Initially, cut and cover along with slurry wall construction to handle soft ground, was recommended by the Soviet Union consultants. Later, in 1977, it
12600-413: Was conducted. The bus systems which catered the public transportation in the city soon began to run out of capacity and the traffic was on the rise, this soon became a growing concern. The concepts for an urban transit system were considered as the need for the country's capital. After planning, a proposal was made in 1984, which revealed plans for constructing three underground corridors and augmentation of
12720-404: Was constructed and opened in two phases, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to Kavi Nazrul in 2009 and Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. In the north, the line was extended till Noapara from Dum Dum on 10 July 2013. The latest extension opened was the 4.1 km (2.5 mi) stretch from Noapara to Dakshineswar on 23 February 2021. The master plan of the metro corridor was made in 1971 along with
12840-468: Was decided to adopt both shield tunneling and cut and cover methods for the construction of underpopulated areas, sewer lines, water mains, electrical cables, telephone cables, tram lines, canals, etc. The technology was provided by M/s NIKEX Hungarian Co., Budapest. In the early days, the project was led by the Union Railway Minister from West Bengal, A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury , often against
12960-424: Was extended till Sealdah . On 6 March 2024, the Esplanade - Howrah Maidan section was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi , leaving only 2.9 km between the two functional stations to be joined. Previously, the stretch from Thakurpukur to Majerhat was surveyed as a branch line of the circular railway , and a metro line from Majerhat to Dakshineswar via Sealdah (interchange with Green line )
13080-471: Was found to be ineffective and caused inconvenience for a lot of commuters (including women) and the plan was dropped. Now, certain sections of seats in each compartment are reserved for women, senior citizens and the physically challenged. The four-seat sections at each end of a coach are reserved for senior citizens and the physically challenged, and the two middle seat sections, between the general seat sections on each side, are reserved for women. The fare
13200-464: Was introduced at Park Street and Maidan metro station in 2016. Gradually, it was expanded to all the stations. The service is provided by Reliance Jio . Most stations have services such as ATMs , food outlets, and chemist stalls. To ease crowding for recharging smart cards, two Automatic Card recharge machines were installed at Dum Dum. On account of the Swacchota–i–Seba (in English, Cleanliness
13320-464: Was laid on 22 February 2009 and construction started in March 2009. The autonomous Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) was formed to implement the project. The Government of India ( Ministry of Urban Development ) and Government of West Bengal each had a half-share in it. Later, the Government of West Bengal pulled out from it, and the shares were transferred to the Ministry of Railways . The realignment led to many other issues and delays. Some of
13440-423: Was little used. The Line 1 was almost entirely built by cut and cover method, while a small 1.09 km stretch between Belgachia and Shyambazar was built using shield tunneling with compressed air and air locks, since the alignment crossed a railway yard (now Kolkata railway station ) and Circular Canal . After more than eight years, the 1.62 km (1.01 mi) Belgachhia – Shyambazaar section, along with
13560-418: Was no inducement for economy or for employing Indians instead of high-paid Europeans (but initially, there were only experienced British railway civil engineers and no Indian ones). EIR was stated in 1867 to have spent as much as Rs 300,000 on each mile of railway, the construction described by a former Finance Member in India as the most extravagant works ever undertaken . The line from Kanpur to Allahabad
13680-609: Was opened in 1859. In 1860, the Kanpur- Etawah section was opened to traffic, and between 1862 and 1866 all gaps between Howrah and Delhi were filled, and the connection to Agra built. The bridges over the Yamuna at Allahabad and at Delhi were completed in 1865 and 1866 respectively. In June 1867 the Allahabad- Jabalpur branch was completed and a connection made at Jabalpur with the Great Indian Peninsula Railway , thus completing
13800-454: Was planned to be built across a 2500 sq. m area. However, the Ministry of Defence objected to the elevated structure, saying that it would overlook the Ordnance depot. This forced RVNL to stall the entire project, and RVNL almost dropped the station from the plan even though it alone would have a projected 20,000 passengers during peak hours. Underground Mominpur station was also not possible due to
13920-512: Was planned. This plan was scrapped and a new metro line from further south in Joka to BBD Bagh was sanctioned in 2010–2011 with a total length of 17.22 km (10.70 mi) at an anticipated cost of ₹ 2,619.02 crore (equivalent to ₹ 59 billion or US$ 700 million in 2023). Later the route was truncated to Esplanade. The corridor runs along Diamond Harbour Road, Khidirpur Road, and Jawaharlal Nehru Road, major arterial roads of Kolkata, and has passenger interchange facilities with
14040-480: Was sanctioned in the 2010–2011 budget. The cost of the project is ₹ 184.83 crore (equivalent to ₹ 415 crore or US$ 50 million in 2023). An eastward extension from Biman Bandar to Barasat over 10.627 km (6.603 mi) was also sanctioned and included in the 2010–2011 budget. The cost of the project is ₹ 2,397.72 crore (equivalent to ₹ 49 billion or US$ 590 million in 2023). The work on this project from Noapara to Barasat
14160-427: Was sent to Indian Railways. Work is also ongoing to upgrade it's old stainless steel third rail to more modern and sustainable aluminium third rail. This could help reduce energy loss by about 84% and solve the problem of voltage drops. This also decrease the time interval between trains to just 90 seconds from 5 minutes. Indian Railways approved the proposal, installation work of Communication Based Train Control signal
14280-529: Was stolen during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Construction work of Old Yamuna Bridge in Delhi started in 1863 which was popularly known as lohe ka pool (bridge made by iron) and completed in 1866. It is a 12 spanned bridge. The construction cost of the bridge was Rs 16,16,335/- Initially it was made as a single railway track but was upgraded to double track in 1913. The 541 miles (871 kilometres) of line from Howrah to Benares were opened to: During
14400-516: Was till New Barrackpore earlier. As of 2024, the construction work has started from the airport to New Barrackpore underground link, and the bidding for the New Barrackpore to Barasat line extension is expected to start. The Pink Line is the northward extension from Baranagar to Barrackpore [12.45 km (7.74 mi)]. It was sanctioned at a cost of ₹ 2,069.6 crore (equivalent to ₹ 46 billion or US$ 560 million in 2023) in
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