KOLKATA: Trial runs for Kolkata’s first metro connectivity to the airport will start in Dec, and the 7km link between Noapara and Jai Hind (airport) stations will be commissioned in March 2025, Metro Railway announced on Wednesday. The Noapara-Airport is the Phase I of Yellow Line, which will eventually link Barasat with Kolkata.
TOI on Oct 23 reported that the city’s airport metro dream may come true in March.
Metro Railway general manager P Uday Kumar Reddy conducted a meeting inside the airport metro premises on Tuesday and told officials that the airport connectivity will start in Mar 2025.
Officials assured him that they were ready for Dec 2024 trial runs along the 4km Dum Dum Cantonment and Jai Hind section. The 3km Noapara-Dum Dum Cantonment underwent test runs last year and has the mandatory nod for commercial operations from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS). However, Metro Railway has extended Phase I by another 4 km – to the airport.
“Officials apprised the GM of the latest status of the Yellow Line’s civil, electrical and signal and telecommunications work,” a Metro spokesperson said, adding: “Devinder Kumar, chief engineer (construction) of Metro Railway, has informed the GM that around 250 fire doors would be installed ahead of the trials.”
The construction of staircases, flooring of platforms 2 and 3 and other features at Jai Hind station is over. Installation of the travelator will start soon, an official said. The GM has instructed that the firefighting system should be in place so that fire safety approvals could be sought from the state fire services department.
Once the airport is incorporated in the metro map, commuters will be able to zip through three Metro lines to the airport via the Noapara interchange.
The Blue (New Garia-Dakshineswar) Line with its Esplanade interchange with the East-West Metro or Green Line’s Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section will allow people from southern and northern fringes to travel to the airport.
Residents of EM Bypass may also reach the airport through the Orange (Ruby-New Garia on EM Bypass). They may go up to New Garia, on to Noapara, and finally to the airport. Those flying down to Kolkata can reach various points of the city and the suburbs by metro instead of running after cabs.
