Completion of the full stretch of the city’s East-West Metro, which has been hampered by hurdles at Bowbazar, is expected to come one step closer soon.
If all goes as planned, the ongoing work on the two tunnels in the middle leg of the East-West Metro Corridor could be completed by December, informed Member Infrastructure, Railway Board, Roop N Sunkar today.
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Commercial services in the stretch between Howrah Maidan and Sealdah are expected to be started in five to six months after that. Mr Sunkar has been in the city since the last two days and has been reviewing the works on various railway and metro railway projects.
He also inspected the Howrah Maidan-to-Sealdah stretch of East-West Metro today. He started this inspection from Howrah Maidan Metro station where he inspected different passenger amenities like lifts, escalators, ticket counters, tunnel ventilation system, station cooling arrangements and so on.
He also conducted trolley inspection from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade Metro station under the river Hooghly. On his way to Esplanade, Mr Sunkar travelled through the tunnel under the river Hooghly and inspected a cross passage. He also went to see the Bowbazar area where repeated cave-ins have hampered the progress of Metro work.
He undertook an inspection on foot inside the tunnel. “Whatever technological involvement there was, has been solved, designs have been finalised and work is progressing well and all sorts of arrangements have been made to tackle it. Now what is left is to basically make the tunnel,” informed Mr Sunkar.
“The construction work will be done by December. For introduction of the services certain basic things are required to be taken care of.
Service beyond Esplanade, it will take five to six months more because all safety precautions will have to be taken and requirements and clearances have to be obtained,” he added.
