Metro Railway Kolkata begins trial run on Noapara – Dakshineswar stretch

"Railways conduct 1st trial run of Metro train up to Dakshineswar, along Kolkata's North-South corridor in West Bengal. Once ready, this will enhance connectivity, benefit lakhs of daily commuters & enable devotees to comfortably visit Dakshineswar Kali Temple," said Piyush Goyal, Union Railway Minister.

Following successful trials, inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will be conducted as per rules before clearance is obtained for running commercial services in the section, an official said to news agency PTI.

Presently, Kolkata Metro spans from Noapara to Kavi Subhash station on the busy north-south axis of the city over a length of 27.22 km, with a 15.70 km of underground section. However, the 4.11 km stretch between Noapara and Dakshineswar is mostly on an elevated structure.

Construction of the 4.11 long stretch between Noapara to Dakshineswar has been carried out by CCCL – SAM India and Simplex Infrastructure Limited. The first civil contract of this stretch was awarded to CCCL – SAM India (JV) in February 2011 with a contract value of Rs 199.87 crores.

The metro train operation on this route will also be done with the help of the 750 V DC Third Rail system. Siemens has provided Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) based on the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level-1.

For more details, please explore the Kolkata Metro page of Urban Transport News.