The stalemate at Chingrighata remains the key hurdle, but it is not the only missing link in the upcoming New Garia-Airport Metro corridor (Orange Line).
The 31-kilometre corridor, now functional between New Garia and Beleghata, has gaps in the viaduct at at least four more locations beyond Chingrighata, Metro officials said.
Concrete segments need to be lifted to plug these gaps. For that, police clearance is required for traffic blocks to be granted to Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the executing agency of the corridor. The permissions for the blocks are pending, Metro officials said.
The same reason has stalled Metro construction at Chingrighata since February last year.
The Union budget for 2026-27 has proposed ₹705.5 crore for the Orange Line, down from the revised allocation of ₹911.32 crore in last year’s budget.
At a news conference on Monday, railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw accused the Bengal government of delaying Metro projects in Calcutta. Money would never be a constraint as long as construction moved ahead, he said.
“The projects can move even faster. But the Bengal government is not giving permission (for traffic blocks) at Chingrighata despite a high court order. A bypass road has already been built at the spot. It has been close to one-and-a-half years, but the state government is yet to give a nod for the work to go ahead,” Vaishnaw said.
If the state government withholds clearance, spending even the proposed allocation would be difficult, railway officials said.
Other gaps
Beyond Chingrighata, the first gap in the viaduct is just before the Technopolis (Nabadiganta) station. A portion of the station itself is also incomplete because permission for a traffic block is pending.
The third gap lies between Nabadiganta and Nazrul Tirtha stations. There are two discontinuities in this stretch: one just after Nabadiganta station and the other just before Nazrul Tirtha.
The fourth gap in the viaduct is between the Chinar Park crossing and VIP Road. Construction of the Chinar Park station is also incomplete.
While all gaps need to be plugged for the much-anticipated corridor to reach the airport, the 366-metre gap at Chingrighata is the most crucial, Metro officials said.
“If the viaduct is completed at Chingrighata, trains can run directly between Kavi Subhash (New Garia) and Sector V. It will be a great boost for connectivity. Howrah and Sealdah will then get connected via Metro for a vast section of people living along EM Bypass and neighbouring areas. Footfall will go up on both the Orange and Green lines (East-West Metro),” said Subhransu Sekhar Mishra, general manager of Metro Railway.
The two lines meet at Sector V. The Green Line station is called Sector V, while the Orange Line station is called IT Centre. Both Howrah and Sealdah are on the Green Line, which is currently recording an average daily footfall of around 2 lakh, far below its projected capacity.
The Orange Line is seeing barely 3,000 passengers a day, not even a fraction of its projected ridership, Metro sources said.
At Chingrighata, RVNL built a 500-metre diversion road more than a year ago to be used during traffic blocks on EM Bypass.
Traffic trials on the road have been under way since January 21.
“We are trying to assess the impact of the actual blocks at one of the busiest intersections in the city. A new traffic signal system needs to be installed before the actual diversions take place,” said a senior Kolkata Police officer.
In December, a Calcutta High Court division bench comprising Justices Sujoy Paul and Partha Sarathi Sen ordered that work on the concrete blocks be completed by February 15.
