Kolkata East West Metro | New Lifeline Added |LuvKolkata
The Kolkata East West Metro is a rapid transit or mass rapid transit line of the Kolkata Metro. This metro will cover a total distance of 16 km. It will connect Saltlake with Howrah by going under the Hooghly River. There are a total of 12 stations starting from Sector V in the East to Howrah Maidan in the West. It will have 6 stations would be elevated and 6 would be underground. With a first-of-its-kind feature like this in India, this metro ride is sure to become a major attraction for all Kolkata tourism packages.
Kolkata East West Metro: Hi-tech Stuff
The trains are all automatic i.e. not driverless, but the driver has little role to play. The first phase (from Saltlake Stadium to Sector 5) was inaugurated by Union Railway Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal on 13th February 2020 and commercial services started from 14th February 2020.
My Experience on the Short Trip
So, in my quest to find out what’s so special about this Kolkata East West Metro, I decided to travel from City Centre 1 station to Sector 5 station on 14th Feb. The City-Centre station is alongside the City-Centre 1 complex, therefore it was easy for us to go to the station. The station is clean and has everything well in place. In addition to that, the proper signboard helped us locate the platform easily.
There were elevators as well as stairs to reach the platform. All platforms are provided with Platform Screen Doors to keep people away from the tracks. As a result, this provides controlled access to the trains and protect the platform edge. From the platform, I could see the sunset and I enjoyed the sight thoroughly.
The platform is made of full granite which makes it quite attractive. The journey was just wow as the scenery outside was awesome. I could see the City-Centre on my left. Then while approaching Karunamoyee station, I could see all the Govt. buildings and the HSBC building to my left. From Sector 5 station I could see the skyscraper office buildings dotting the Sector-5 skyline.
Interesting Read: Bus Service from London to Kolkata !
In short, it was a journey that I will cherish for the rest of my life because I have seen the Kolkata East-West Metro being built for the last few years regularly, as I live in Saltlake and often travel to the City-Centre shopping complex. This special train service is surely going to be a permanent fixture of all people visiting for an authentic Kolkata tourism experience.
Also read: What does a true-blue Kolkatan feel about her annual trip to the City of Joy