East-West & Orange Line: Modi's Metro Inauguration in Kolkata.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate two significant metro stretches in Kolkata on April 24. These include the final 2.6-kilometre stretch of the East-West Metro between Esplanade and Sealdah, and a 4.5-kilometre segment of the Orange Line from Ruby to Metropolitan, connecting Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Beleghata stations, sources confirmed on Thursday.

Although no official confirmation has been made, senior officials in Kolkata were notified of the plans following a communication from the railway ministry on Thursday morning, which led to a series of urgent internal meetings.

“It remains uncertain whether the Prime Minister will attend the event in person or inaugurate it virtually,” a source added. The event may also feature the launch of refurbished railway stations in West Bengal under the Amrit Bharat scheme.

The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC), responsible for the East-West Metro project, is racing against time to complete the final civil works on the 16.6-kilometre corridor from Sector V to Howrah Maidan.

The 2.6-kilometre Esplanade-Sealdah stretch, part of Phase III of the project, recently underwent an inspection by Certifer, the French agency acting as the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) for metro systems globally. Metro authorities are now urging the agency to speed up the safety clearance process.

Officials also mentioned that the state fire and emergency services department is scheduled to carry out a mandatory fire and safety inspection next week, followed by an inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). The CRS inspection will be based on the ISA’s report and trial documentation submitted by KMRC since January.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.