Kolkata Metro Line 6

Summary

Kolkata Metro Line 6 or the Orange Line of the Kolkata Metro, in the Indian state of West Bengal, is a rapid transit line that will connect New Garia with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport via two satellite towns Salt Lake and New Town. It currently operates between Kavi Subhash and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. This stretch will be one of the most important stretches of the metro because it will connect the southern and the eastern parts of the city with Kolkata Airport. The total distance of this route will be 29.87 km (18.56 mi).[1]

Kolkata Metro Line 6

Biman Bandar - Kavi Subhash
Overview
Other name(s)
  • New Town metro
  • Airport Metro
  • Bypass Metro
StatusOperational
OwnerMetro Railway, Kolkata
Line number6
LocaleKolkata metropolitan area, India
Termini
Connecting linesBlue Line Green Line Yellow Line
Stations24
Websitemtp.indianrailways.gov.in
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemKolkata Metro
Operator(s)Metro Railway, Kolkata
Depot(s)
  • NSCBI Airport (under construction)
  • New Garia
  • New Town (under construction)
Rolling stock3
Daily ridership500,000 (projected)
History
Opened6 March 2024; 42 days ago (2024-03-06)
Last extension6 March 2024; 42 days ago (2024-03-06)
Technical
Line length29.87 kilometres (18.56 mi)[1]
5.4 kilometres (3.4 mi)(Operational)[2]
Number of tracks2
Character
  • Surface – 1
  • Underground – 1
  • Elevated – 22
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Electrification750 V DC[3] using third rail
Operating speed80 km/h (designed)
SignallingCommunications-based train control
Route map

Legend
Kavi Subhash
Satyajit Ray
Jyotirindra Nandi
Panchanangram Canal
Kavi Sukanta
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay
VIP Bazar
Ritwik Ghatak
Storm Water Outlet Canal
Barun Sengupta
Beleghata
Captain Bhery
Gour Kishore Ghosh
Nalban
3rd Avenue
IT Centre
Nabadiganta
Keshtopur Canal
Nazrul Tirtha Bus interchange
Swapnabhor
Biswa Bangla Convention Centre
Keshtopur Canal
Shiksha Tirtha
Mother's Wax Museum
Eco Park
Mangaldeep
City Centre-2
Rajarhat Road
Chinar Park
VIP Road Bus interchange Green Line
Jai Hind
Airport Depot

The trials of the 5.4 km (3.4 mi) Kavi Subhas-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay station at Ruby crossing segment was covered in eight minutes without stoppages. The speed trials for the East-West Metro during the CRS inspection in 2019 had been at 80 km/h (50 mph).[4] It connects Line 1 at Kavi Subhash and will eventually connect Lines 2 and 4.

History edit

ICF Medha Rake entering Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Metro Station seen during Hemanta Mukhopadhyay metro station to Netaji Bhavan metro journey 01.webm

This project was sanctioned in the budget of 2010–11 by Mamata Banerjee with a project deadline of six years.[5] The execution of this project has been entrusted to RVNL at a cost of Rs 3951.98 crore. It will help to reduce travel time between the southern fringes of Kolkata to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and will have 23 elevated stations, 1 underground station and 1 at-grade. The terminal Airport station being the underground one.

Work for construction of the terminal station at New Garia for the 29.87 km (18.56 mi) Kavi Subhash-Biman Bandar (via Rajarhat) metro project finally resumed on 14 February 2017 with Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) demarcating the plot they require for the purpose.

The work has been delayed for years due to multiple issues. At first AAI objected the station above the ground, stating that this could be a threat for air traffic. Many underground utilities, power sub-station and water treatment plant had to be shifted. Encroachments and Land acquisition problems held up the project for multiple times.

The 5 km (3.1 mi) stretch from New Garia to Ruby Hospital was expected to start from 2018.[6] As of now, the station and associated metro viaduct connections are fully completed with trail runs being conducted over this and other phase 1 stations. RVNL planned to launch the metro over this truncated route before this year's Durga Puja, but was postponed due to signalling issues.[7]

After lot of hardships and developmental work, the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section of Kolkata Metro Line 6 was inaugurated on 6 March 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the truncated sections of Taratala-Majerhat under Line 3 and Esplanade-Howrah Maidan under Line 2.[8] A week later after inauguration and a day after commercial run started on Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section, RVNL announced the completion of a 76 m viaduct gap after construction of a single-span open-web girder steel bridge over Tagore Park culvert. This completed the viaduct up to Beliaghata metro station.[9] Trial runs have started over Hemanta Mukhopadhyay-Beleghata metro station and this stretch is planned to open in late 2024.[10]

Route edit

 

The stations are named after eminent Bengali personalities.[5][11][12] and will have 22 elevated stations, 1 underground station and 1 at-grade. The terminal Airport station will be the underground one. This station will also have a yard and it will be the largest underground facility of India and city's first. It will be 550 m (1,800 ft) long and 41.6 m (136 ft) wide and will facilitate stabling and reversal of rakes, but it will not be a carshed. One can interchange to Line 4 at Dum Dum Airport, Line 2 at VIP Road (Haldiram) and Salt Lake Sector V and Line 1 at Kavi Subhash. At Kavi Subhash, Rail Interchange will be also available (Sealdah South Section).

On 4 January 2021 the state government decided to rename 9 metro stations in New Town area to their more prevailing names rather than using the old ones which were given during the planning phase. The state transport department has informed Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) of the new names of the proposed nine metro stations between Nazrul Tirtha at the entry of New Town from Salt Lake Sector V till Chinar Park, the last station on the line before it turns right on VIP road towards Kolkata Airport.[13]

Line 6 (Orange Line)[14]
No. Station name Location Phase Opening Connections Layout Notes
English Bengali
1 Jai Hind (NSCBI Airport) জয় হিন্দ NSCB International Airport 4 Under construction   (Under construction)

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport

  Airport AC Bus Stand

  Airport Gate No. 1 Bus Stop

  Airport Gate No. 2 Bus Stop

  Airport Gate No. 2.5 Bus Stop

  Airport Gate No. 3 Bus Stop

Underground
2 VIP Road ভি আই পি রোড Teghoria   (Planned)

  Minibus Stand

  Haldiram Bus Stop

Elevated
3 Chinar Park (Rajarhat Road) চিনার পার্ক New Town
4 City Centre-2 সিটি সেন্টার-২
5 Mangaldeep মঙ্গলদীপ Also known as Akanksha 5-point crossing
6 Eco Park ইকো পার্ক Also known as Nawabpur
7 Mother's Wax Museum মাদার্স ওয়াক্স মিউজিয়াম
8 Shiksha Tirtha শিক্ষা তীর্থ Also known as Kala Kshetra
9 Biswa Bangla Convention Centre বিশ্ব বাংলা কনভেনশন সেন্টার Also known as Narkelbagan / Rabindra Tirtha
10 Swapnabhor স্বপ্ন ভোর
11 Nazrul Tirtha নজরুল তীর্থ Also known as Newtown Bus Stand
12 Nabadiganta নবদিগন্ত Salt Lake Also known as Bidhannagar Limit
13 IT Centre আই টি সেন্টার 3   Salt Lake Sector-V

  Wipro Bus Stop

  Saltlake Bus Depot

  Karunamoyee Bus Station(WBTC,CTC,SBSTC,NBSTC)

Located near IT Hub of Kolkata
14 Nalban নলবন Serving Nicco Park
15 Gour Kishore Ghosh (Chingrighata) গৌর কিশোর ঘোষ Also known as Chingrighata / Sukanta Nagar
16 Beleghata বেলেঘাটা Metropolitan 2 Also known as Tangra Metropolitan Township
17 Barun Sengupta (Science City) বরুণ সেনগুপ্ত Dhapa/Mathpukur Also known as Metropolitan
18 Ritwik Ghatak (Bantala Road) ঋত্বিক ঘটক Uttar Panchanagram
19 VIP Bazar ভি আই পি বাজার VIP Bazar
20 Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby Hospital) হেমন্ত মুখোপাধ্যায় Ruby Island 1 6 March 2024 Elevated Also known as Kasba Golpark / East Kolkata Township
21 Kavi Sukanta (Kalikapur) কবি সুকান্ত Kalikapur
22 Jyotirindra Nandi (Mukundpur) জ্যোতিরিন্দ্র নন্দী Mukundapur Also known as Singhbari
23 Satyajit Ray সত্যজিৎ রায় SRFTI / Hiland Park   Bengal Ambuja Bus Stop

  Hiland Park Bus Stop

  Peerless Hospital Bus Stop

Also known as Chak Garia / Ajoy Nagar
24 Kavi Subhash (New Garia) কবি সুভাষ New Garia 7 October 2010   (Operational)

  New Garia Station

  New Garia Station Bus Stand

At Grade

See also edit

 
Line 2 and 6 under construction at Salt Lake Sector V, November 2017

References edit

  1. ^ a b "New System Map of Kolkata Metro".
  2. ^ "In addition to the underwater metro, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Kavi Subhash - Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Metro section".
  3. ^ "CAF to supply Kolkata metro trains".
  4. ^ "Ruby-New Garia trial clocks 83kmph speed". The Times of India. 22 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Metro sets June 2018 date for New Garia-Ruby line". The Times of India.
  6. ^ Staff Reporter (25 August 2023). "Successful Speed Trial Conducted on Hemanta Mukhopadhyay-Kavi Subhas Metro Stretch". Metro Rail News. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Hope for ops start of three new Metro links in March first week". The Times of India. 19 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Traffic starts moving along Tagore Park western flank". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Metro goes beyond Ruby, reaches Metropolitan on maiden trial run". The Times of India. 29 March 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  10. ^ "New Garia to Biman Bandar via Rajarhat Metro extension".
  11. ^ "Kolkata Metro Line 6".
  12. ^ Mondal, Biswadeep (4 January 2021). "West Bengal govt renames nine New Town Metro stations". Times of India.
  13. ^ "Metro Railway Kolkata / Indian Railways Portal". mtp.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 7 March 2024.

External links edit