KOLKATA: East-West Metro’s Sealdah run might not be flagged off on Poila Baishakh, officials said on Monday. No communique to this effect so far was a pointer towards an opening date that’s not as immediate as April 15, they said.
Metro Railway, the umbrella organization for the city’s rapid system, had not heard from Railway Board or the ministry of railways till late on Monday about the date of commissioning of the seventh stop for Kolkata’s Line 2. Metro Railway general manager Arun Arora had earlier announced that he would suggest to the Railway Board about starting the Metro’s extended operations from Poila Baisakh. An official said, “If the new section were to open on April 15, we would have received a letter from the Railway Board by Monday. But one never knows… if the ministry decides, the letter can come on Tuesday or the day after.”
Last Monday, C N Jha, the new MD of Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC), the implementing agency of the 16km Metro corridor, had said that they were ready to start on Poila Baisakh but the ultimate decision on the date would depend on the Railway Board.
Kolkata’s showcase East-West Metro, the first phase of which was started in March 2020, now runs a truncated 6.6km from Sector V to Phoolbagan with six stations. The seventh (Sealdah) and an added 2.3km now has the approval of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), the autonomous body under the civil aviation ministry that clears any new Metro project in India. The entire Sector V-Howrah Maidan route would be operational by January next year, Arora had said.
A visit to the Metro station on Monday showed the workers slogging hard to add finishing touches and fulfilling the observations made by the CRS. The Metro station, located 17m below the Eastern Railway station, should ferry at least 20,000 people to Sector V Metro station.
