Finally, on 24 October 1984, Calcutta got its memorable Diwali gift, as the 75th city in the world and as the first city of India to have a commercially active underground tube line of 3.4 km covering only five stations: Esplanade, Park Street, Maidan, Rabindra Sadan and Bhawanipur.
In March this year, Metro Railway, Kolkata achieved a groundbreaking feat when it launched India's first underwater service under the Hooghly River, connecting two centuries-old cities Howrah and Kolkata.
Considering the huge rush of passengers, the Kolkata Metro Railway has decided to take host of initiatives to manage the mammoth crowd of commuters.
According to the city Metro office, at stations like Shyambazar, Sovabazar-Sutanuti, Chandni Chowk, Park Street, Rabindra Sadan, Netaji Bhavan and Rabindra Sarobar, 50 per cent gates are remaining open for these experimental services in order to make entry and exit of passengers fast and easy.
The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL), the implementing agency of the East-West Corridor at Bowbazar is carrying out the installation works of steel liners inside the east-bound tunnel at Bowbazar.
Mahanayak Uttam Kumar-Kavi Subhash metro service to be suspended during the morning hours on Saturdays and Sundays from 6 May to 11 June.
Kolkata Metro's first rake arrived at the Howrah Maidan and it was operated through a tunnel under the river Hooghly on a trial basis
A commute from Esplanade, Chandni Chowk, Park Street or Kalighat to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay would cost Rs 40 for passengers.
Overcoming the difficulties, the Metro has been able to complete the task in about three years.
The station is to play a crucial role after the final commissioning of the upcoming Noapara-Barasat via Biman Bandar Metro Project. It is to become one of the interchanging points of Metro Railway and Eastern Railway.
