Marking a significant milestone in India’s infrastructure development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the country’s first-ever underwater metro on March 6. Spanning a distance of 16.6km beneath the Hooghly River, the metro is a remarkable feat of engineering.
In the presence of PM Modi, the inauguration ceremony was a grand event in the attendance of several dignitaries, officials, and the general public. Thousands of people flooded the inauguration ceremony to witness the big moment.
As India creates history and takes a plunge into the future of transportation, here are a few interesting facts about India’s first underwater metro:
1. The ambitious project will connect Kolkata’s twin cities, Howrah and Salt Lake.
2. The metro has six stations, three of which are underground.
3. The Metro is expected to zoom through a 520-meter stretch under the river Hooghly in just 45 seconds.
4. Out of the total 16.6km, 10.8 kilometers are underground, including the tunnel under the Hooghly River; the rest is above the ground.
5. The trail run was conducted on April 12 from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade, with only metro authorities, officials, and engineers on board.
6. It is India’s first underwater metro line.
7. The work for the East-West Metro corridor began in 2009 and the work for tunneling under River Hooghly began in 2017.