Trains have started running in both tunnels of East-West Metro for the entire stretch between Howrah Maidan and Sector V, the carrier said after a trial run on Tuesday in the west-bound (Howrah-bound) tunnel between Esplanade and Sealdah, the only unfinished section of the 16.6km corridor.
“The first trial run on the Sealdah-Esplanade stretch through the west-bound tunnel of Green Line has been conducted successfully today,” said a Metro official.
Trains have already run on the east-bound tunnel in the 2.63km Esplanade-Sealdah section. It includes a 200m stretch in Bowbazar, which has seen four incidents of water leakage and soil subsidence since 2019, delaying the project for years.
The trial run was a significant step towards the beginning of commercial services between Esplanade and Sealdah, which would link the two terminal stations, Howrah Maidan and Salt Lake Sector V, said Metro officials.
“Today’s trial run is significant because it shows that the civil engineering and electrical traction work is complete in the west-bound tunnel, and, in effect, the entire Bowbazar stretch. Only the work for testing signal communication system is left,” said an engineer.
The East-West corridor (Green Line) is now functional in two parts, between Sector V and Sealdah (Phase 1) and between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade (Phase 2).
“The trial run started at 11.20am from Sealdah. The train reached Esplanade at 11.31am,” said an official.
During commercial runs, a train will take a couple of minutes to cover the same distance. “The train ran at around 15kmph. During commercial runs, the speed will be over 50kmph,” said the official.
The track-laying work in the Bowbazar section of the west-bound tunnel was completed in mid-December, said the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, the implementing agency of the East-West corridor.
On Tuesday, general manager P. Uday Kumar Reddy and other senior officials of Metro Railway and KMRC were present in this trial run.
The Esplanade-Mahakaran stretch of the west-bound tunnel has been off limits for commercial runs since November 11 to expedite construction work in Bowbazar.
The foundation for signalling tests in the only unfinished section is also being laid.
Commercial services on the corridor were suspended on two successive Sundays, January 12 and 19, for trial of the communication-based train control (CBTC) system.
An inspection and eventual nod from the commissioner of railway safety will be needed before commercial services begin on the Esplanade-Sealdah section. The carrier wants to make the entire corridor functional this year.