Kolkata Metro

Kolkata Metro
Overview
Native nameকলকাতা মেট্রো
Owner
Area servedKolkata Metropolitan Area
LocaleKolkata, West Bengal, India
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines
  • 1 fully operational
  • 3 partly operational
  • 1 under construction
  • 1 planned
Line numberActive:
Blue Line Green Line Purple Line Orange Line
Under construction:
Yellow Line
Planned:
Pink Line
Number of stations48 (active)
32 (under construction)
18 (planned)
Daily ridershipmore than 700,000
Chief executive
Headquarters
Website
Operation
Began operation24 October 1984; 41 years ago (1984-10-24)
Operator(s)Metro Railway, Kolkata
Infrastructure manager(s)Indian Railways
Number of vehiclesabout 45
Train length6 and 8 railway coaches (originally 4)
Headway4 minutes (Line 1)
10 minutes (Line 2)
20 minutes (Line 3)
25 minutes (Line 6)
Technical
System length59.38 km (36.90 mi)
Track gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Average speed23 km/h (14.29 mph)
Top speed80 km/h (50 mph)

The Kolkata Metro (Bengali: কলকাতা মেট্রো) is a rapid transit system in West Bengal, India. It gives service to the city of Kolkata and the larger Kolkata Metropolitan Area. Opened in 1984, it is the first rapid transit system in India. It is also the second busiest and fourth-longest metro system in India. As of March 2024, it has four active lines: Line 1 (Blue Line), Line 2 (Green Line), Line 3 (Purple Line) and Line 6 (Orange Line).

Line 1 is 32.33-kilometre (20.09-mile) long. It runs from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash. Line 2 is 13.9-kilometre (8.6-mile) long. It is divided into two parts: Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, and Esplanade to Howrah Maidan. Line 3 is 7.75-kilometre (4.82-mile) long. It runs from Joka to Majerhat. Line 6 is 5.4-kilometre (3.4-mile). It runs from Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. The total length of the Kolkata Metro is 59.38 kilometres (36.90 miles). Other than these four active lines, there are two more metro lines to be opened.

The Kolkata Metro is the fourth-longest active metro network in India after the Delhi Metro, Namma Metro and the Hyderabad Metro. It is a mix of underground, at-grade and elevated (higher than the ground) stations. It used both broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. Trains run between 06:55 and 22:30 IST. The fares (money to use the trains) of the rapid transit system are between ₹5 to ₹50.

Metro Railway, Kolkata and Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) own and run the metro system. Metro Railway, Kolkata became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways on 29 December 2010. The Indian Railways is completely owned and funded by the Ministry of Railways. It is the only metro system in the country to be run by the Indian Railways. There are about 300 train trips every day, carrying more than seven hundred thousand passengers.

Metro network

A map of all Kolkata Metro lines.

Active

Line number Line colour First run Last extension
(making longer)		 Metro stations Length (kilometres) Orientation Terminals
(end stations)		 Rail vehicles Track gauge Power Average
frequency (minutes)
1 Blue Line 24 October 1984 22 February 2021 26 32.33 North – South Dakshineswar Kavi Subhash ICF, CRRC Dalian 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) 750 volts DC (direct current) 5
2 Green Line 13 February 2020 14 July 2022 8 9.1 East – West Sealdah Salt Lake Sector-V BEML 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) 10
6 March 2024 – 4 4.8 East – West Howrah Maidan Esplanade
3 Purple Line 30 December 2022 6 March 2024 7 7.75 Centre – South Majerhat Joka ICF 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) 25
6 Orange Line 6 March 2024 – 5 5.4 South – North Kavi Subhash Hemanta Mukhopadhyay 20
Total 50 59.38

Metro lines

Metro line Status Length Metro stations Year it started
Blue Line Fully active 32.33  kilometres 26 1984
Green Line Most parts are active 13.9  kilometres 12 2020
Purple Line Some parts are active 7.75  kilometres 7 2022
Orange Line Some parts are active 5.4  kilometres 5 2024

Line 1 (Blue Line)

A train at Dakshineswar metro station.

Kolkata Metro Line 1, also called North–South Metro or the Blue Line, is the oldest metro line of Kolkata. Its total length is 31.365 kilometres (19.489 miles). It has 26 stations. Fifteen of them are underground, 9 of them are elevated and 2 of them are at-grade. It uses 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge.

North–South Metro is the first underground railway of India. The first trains start running in October 1984. The original plan was to build a metro line between Dum Dum and Tollygunge. The line was completed in February 1999. But the line became longer in the next years. At first, it became longer from Tollygunge (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) to Kavi Nazrul in 2009. Then it became longer from Kavi Nazrul to Kavi Subhash in 2010. After that, the line became 2.59-kilometre (1.61-mile) longer from Dum Dum to Noapara in 2013. The Dum Dum–Noapara part of the line is elevated (higher than the ground). Finally, the line became 4.13-kilometre (2.57-mile) longer from Noapara to Dakshineswar in 2021.

Sources

  1. ↑ "Metro Railway Kolkata / Indian Railways Portal". mtp.indianrailways.gov.in. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Registered Office". www.kmrc.in. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "KOLKATA METRO NETWORK EXPANDED BY 25.34 KM SINCE 2014, ANOTHER 13.27 KM LIKELY TO ADD IN 2023-2024". Kolkata Metro. 29 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "PRIME MINISTER SHRI NARENDRA MODI INAUGURATED HOWRAH MAIDAN-ESPLANADE STRETCH OF EAST-WEST METRO AND OTHER METRO CORRIDORS TODAY". mtp.indianrailways.gov.in. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  5. ↑ Jayanta Gupta (6 July 2017). "Metro prepares completion calendar for city projects". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  6. ↑ Chakraborty, Ajanta; Gupta, Jayanta (5 February 2020). "Kolkata Metro: 8am on Valentine's Day;Your date with East-West Metro". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  7. ↑ Ajanta Chakraborty (4 Feb 2020). "On track: First phase of East-West Metro to roll out on February 13". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "Kolkata Metro: First glimpse of Joka-Taratala route in pics". mint. 2022-12-30. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  9. ↑ Indian Railways Portal CMS Team (10 February 2016). "Metro Railway, Kolkata, the confluence of culture, technology and eco-friendliness". mtp.indianrailways.gov.in. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "Milestone". mtp.indianrailways.gov.in. 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Kolkata Metro services to start earlier on weekends from July 1". The Indian Express. 29 June 2019. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  12. ↑ "Bengal has made up its mind for 'poriborton', says PM Modi in Hooghly". business-standard.com. 22 Feb 2021. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 22 Feb 2021.

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