Kolkata Metro

The Kolkata Metro () is a rapid transit system in West Bengal, India. It gives service to the city of Kolkata and the larger Kolkata Metropolitan Area. Opened in 1984, it is the first rapid transit system in India. It is also the second busiest and fourth-longest metro system in India. , it has four active lines: Line 1 (Blue Line), Line 2 (Green Line), Line 3 (Purple Line) and Line 6 (Orange Line).

Line 1 is  long. It runs from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash. Line 2 is  long. It is divided into two parts: Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, and Esplanade to Howrah Maidan. Line 3 is  long. It runs from Joka to Majerhat. Line 6 is . It runs from Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. The total length of the Kolkata Metro is . Other than these four active lines, there are two more metro lines to be opened.

The Kolkata Metro is the fourth-longest active metro network in India after the Delhi Metro, Namma Metro and the Hyderabad Metro. It is a mix of underground, at-grade and elevated (higher than the ground) stations. It used both broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. Trains run between 06:55 and 22:30 IST. The fares (money to use the trains) of the rapid transit system are between ₹5 to ₹50.

Metro Railway, Kolkata and Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) own and run the metro system. Metro Railway, Kolkata became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways on 29 December 2010. The Indian Railways is completely owned and funded by the Ministry of Railways. It is the only metro system in the country to be run by the Indian Railways. There are about 300 train trips every day, carrying more than seven hundred thousand passengers.

Metro network

Active

Line numberLine colourFirst runLast extension(making longer)Metro stationsLength (kilometres)OrientationTerminals(end stations)Rail vehiclesTrack gaugePowerAveragefrequency (minutes)1Blue Line24 October 198422 February 20212632.33North – SouthDakshineswarKavi SubhashICF, CRRC Dalian750 volts DC (direct current)52Green Line13 February 202014 July  202289.1East – WestSealdahSalt Lake Sector-VBEML106 March 2024–44.8East – WestHowrah MaidanEsplanade3Purple Line30 December 20226 March 202477.75Centre – SouthMajerhatJokaICF256Orange Line6 March 2024–55.4South – NorthKavi SubhashHemanta Mukhopadhyay20 Total    50    59.38 

Metro lines
Metro lineStatusLengthMetro stationsYear it startedFully active32.33  kilometres261984Most parts are active13.9  kilometres122020Some parts are active7.75  kilometres72022Some parts are active5.4  kilometres52024

Line 1 (Blue Line)

Kolkata Metro Line 1, also called North–South Metro or the Blue Line, is the oldest metro line of Kolkata. Its total length is . It has 26 stations. Fifteen of them are underground, 9 of them are elevated and 2 of them are at-grade. It uses  broad gauge.

North–South Metro is the first underground railway of India. The first trains start running in October 1984. The original plan was to build a metro line between Dum Dum and Tollygunge. The line was completed in February 1999. But the line became longer in the next years. At first, it became longer from Tollygunge (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) to Kavi Nazrul in 2009. Then it became longer from Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. After that, the line became  longer from Dum Dum to Noapara in 2013. The Dum Dum–Noapara part of the line is elevated (higher than the ground). Finally, the line became  longer from Noapara to Dakshineswar in 2021.

Sources

Other websites

Category:Kolkata
Category:Rapid transit
Category:Transport in India