An AC Metro ride between New Garia and Calcutta airport is expected to take just over an hour from 2028.

The New Garia-Airport Metro link, or Orange Line, is likely to be completed by the end of 2027, with commercial services likely to begin in early 2028, said sources in Metro Railway and Railway Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the executing agency for the 31km corridor. The line is currently operational between New Garia and Beleghata.

Work to bridge a 366-metre gap at Chingrighata on EM Bypass, stalled for around 15 months, has resumed after the change of government in Bengal. The crucial 62m stretch across the Bypass was bridged in the early hours of Monday. Railway officials are now hopeful that the remaining gaps along the corridor will also be completed without delay.

“Chingrighata was the most critical gap, but not the only one on the Orange Line. Other gaps still need to be bridged. If things go according to plan, the corridor should reach the airport by the end of 2027,” a Metro official said.

“A series of trials and a final nod from the commissioner of railway safety will be required before the entire line becomes operational. We are hopeful commercial services can start in 2028,” the official said.

Officials said the journey between the two terminal stations is expected to take a little over an hour.

Traffic blocks are needed to bridge most of the remaining gaps. Railway officials said the new regime was expected to ensure that such blocks are granted without delays.

Sector V, New Town

Beyond Chingrighata, another gap in the viaduct remains just before the Technopolis (Nabadiganta) station in Sector V. A portion of the station itself is incomplete because permission for a traffic block is pending.

Sources in RVNL said the agency waited several months for permission before changing the construction method.

“We are now using precast technology, casting concrete components in a controlled environment. Minor traffic blocks may be needed when cranes lift the components into place, but the work is progressing,” an RVNL official said.

Another gap lies between the Nabadiganta and Nazrul Tirtha stations, where a pier cap is yet to be installed. In railway parlance, a pillar is called a pier, and the pier cap is the structure on which the girder rests.

“Discussions are underway with police. We should get the traffic block in due course,” the official said.

VIP Road

Another major gap, measuring around 120m, remains on VIP Road in Kaikhali.

Officials said a launcher would first have to be lifted into position, after which six concrete spans would be placed on the pillars. The work is expected to take three to four months.

The police have granted in-principle approval for night traffic blocks needed to carry out the work, sources said.

Project boost

The Orange Line received a major boost at Chingrighata after the change of government in Bengal.

Two consecutive weekend traffic blocks enabled engineers to bridge the most critical section across EM Bypass.

The Chingrighata gap was also the final hurdle before the Orange Line reaches Sector V, which officials expect by the end of 2026.

“If trains can run between Kavi Subhash (New Garia) and Sector V, it will improve connectivity. Howrah and Sealdah will then be linked by Metro for a large section of commuters living along EM Bypass and adjoining areas. The footfall on both the Orange and Green (East-West Metro) lines will go up,” a Metro official said.

The two corridors intersect at Sector V.

The Green Line station is called Sector V, while the Orange Line station is called IT Centre.

Both Howrah and Sealdah fall on the Green Line, which currently records an average daily footfall of around 2lakh, well below its projected capacity.

The Orange Line sees barely 2,000 passengers a day, not even a fraction of the projected footfall, said Metro sources.