PM Modi to open India's first under-river metro tunnel in Kolkata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate India's first under-river metro tunnel in Kolkata on Wednesday. This marks a significant development in urban transportation in the country, with several key metro and rapid transit projects set to be inaugurated by the PM.

The Kolkata Metro extension, which includes the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro section, is the first in India to pass under a major river. This is a crucial milestone in India's infrastructure development.

The 4.8-km stretch of the East-West Metro corridor from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade has been built at a cost of Rs 4,965 crore and it will have the deepest Metro station in India at Howrah — which is 30 metres below the ground level.

The metro forms an important segment of the East-West Metro corridor and will connect key areas like the IT hub Salt Lake Sector V. Of the total 16.6 km of the East-West Metro corridor, 10.8 km is underground, including the tunnel under the Hooghly river. 

The PM will also inaugurate the Kavi Subhash - Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Metro section and the Taratala - Majerhat Metro section in Kolkata. The latter includes the Majerhat Metro Station, an elevated station spanning railway lines, platforms, and a canal.

PM Modi will also flag off several other projects across the country, including stretches of the Pune Metro, the Kochi Metro Rail Phase I Extension, the Agra Metro, and the Duhai-Modinagar (North) section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor.

These projects are aimed at easing road traffic congestion and providing efficient connectivity for the public. The PM will also lay the foundation stone for the extension of the Pune Metro Rail project phase 1 between Pimpri Chinchwad Metro-Nigdi.

Later in the day, PM Modi will inaugurate various infrastructure-related projects worth around Rs. 12,800 crore at Bettiah, West Champaran district in Bihar. PM Modi is on a three-day visit to Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar from March 4 to 6.