India's first under-river metro tunnel

08.03.2024

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Why in the news?

   India's first under-river metro tunnel was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kolkata.

Important points:

• After the inauguration program, PM Modi rode the metro from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan with school children.
• Apart from this, the country's oldest metro network, Kavi Subhash-Hemant Mukhopadhyay section of New Garia-Airport Line of Kolkata Metro and Taratala-Majerhat section of Joka-Esplanade line were inaugurated by the Prime Minister.
• Also inaugurated was Duhai-Modinagar (North) section of Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor, Ruby Hall Clinic-Ramwadi section of Pune Metro, SN Junction to Tripunithura section of Kochi Metro and Taj East Gate-Mankameshwar section of Agra Metro.

About India's first under-river metro tunnel:

• The metro tunnel has been built under the Hooghly River of Kolkata, which will connect Howrah Maidan to Esplanade.
• The 4.8 km stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade is the second section of the East-West Metro Corridor between Howrah Maidan and IT hub Salt Lake Sector V.
  • The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section passes under the Hooghly River, on whose eastern and western banks lie the cities of Kolkata and Howrah.
• The East-West Metro Corridor in Kolkata, which includes a 4.8 km stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade, has a 520-metre long tunnel under the river.
• This metro will reach a distance of 520 meters under the Hooghly river in 45 seconds.
• Of the total 16.6 km length, 10.8 km is underground with a tunnel under the Hooghly River.
• Howrah has the deepest metro station in India (30 meters deep).

About Hooghly River:

• The Hooghly River is a tributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India.
• Hooghly River is approximately 260 kilometers long.
• It starts from Noorpur in Murshidabad district, where it originates from the Ganga.
• The river flows southwards through the state of West Bengal and eventually merges into the Bay of Bengal.
• Kolkata Port, one of the major ports of India, is located on the Hooghly River and serves as a gateway for trade.
• Kolkata city is situated on the banks of Hooghly River.
• The annual GangaSagar Fair, a pilgrimage and festival, takes place on Sagar Island at the confluence of the Hooghly River and the Bay of Bengal.

                                                           Source: Times of India