PM Modi unveils India’s first underwater, Rs 4,065-crore metro line

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, unveiled the country’s first underwater metro line in Kolkata. The PM also unveiled multiple metro projects across the country. The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro's East-West Corridor, the first transportation tunnel “under any mighty river in India” has been built at a cost of Rs 4,965 crore. The stretch also has the deepest metro station in the country, Howrah. 

After the inauguration, PM Modi took a metro ride from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan along with school children. The PM was seen interacting with the school children who were sitting next to him in the metro. He also greeted the people who had gathered there for the unveiling. 

The under-river section of the tunnel is 520 metres long. The metro will take around 45 seconds to cross the section. 

After the Esplanade metro station, the PM also inaugurated the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section of the New Garia-Aiport line and the Taratala-Majerhat section of the Joka-Esplanade line of the Kolkata Metro, the country's oldest metro network. The Majerghat metro station is a distinctive elevated structure spanning over railway tracks, platforms, and a canal. 

PM Modi inaugurated several new sections of various metros including the Duhai-Modinagar (North) section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS Corridor, Pune Metro's Ruby Hall Clinic-Ramwadi route, Kochi Metro's SN Junction to Tripunithura stretch, and Agra Metro's Taj East Gate-Mankameshwar path. 

In addition, the foundation stone for the extension of the Pune Metro between Pimpri Chinchwad and Nigdi was laid by the PM. These new sections aim to alleviate road congestion and facilitate seamless, effortless, and comfortable travel. The inaugurated section of the Agra Metro will improve accessibility to historical tourist sites. The 17-km section of the RRTS is expected to stimulate economic activity in the NCR, the statement further added.