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With over 11 million inhabitants, Kolkata (the former Calcutta) is one of the biggest cities in Asia. It lies in the state of West Bengal, in the east of India.

In 1971, a Master Plan was designed which included 5 rapid transit lines, of which the the north-south route was considered the most important one. Construction (mainly cut-and-cover) began in 1973 and the first section opened for public service in 1984 between Esplanade - Bhowanipur (3.4 km). This was the first subway line in India. The Kolkata Metro Railway reached its current length of 16.5 km in 1995. Along the route there are 17 stations (15 underground, 1 elevated and 1 on surface). Stations have 160 m long platforms designed for 8-car-trains. Power supply is via third rail at 750 V dc. Travelling time from Dum Dum to Tollygunge is 33 minutes.

Apart from the metro line, there is a 68 km tram network, opened in 1902.

24/Oct/1984 - Esplanade - Bhowanipur (now Netaji Bhaban) (3.4 km)
12/Nov/1984 - 26/Oct/1992 Dum Dum - Belgachhia (2.15 km)
29/Apr/1986 - Bhowanipur (now Netaji Bhaban) - Tollygunge (4.25 km)
13/Aug/1994 - Dum Dum - Shyambazar (3.8 km)
2/Oct/1994 Esplanade - Chandni Chowk (0.7 km)
19/Feb/1995 Shyambazar - Girish Park (1.9 km) and Chandni Chowk - Central (0.6 km)
27/Sept/1995 - Central - Girish Park (1.8 km)

 Projects

An elevated extension from Tollygunge to New Garia (8.5 km) is under construction.

A northern extension from Dum Dum to Dakshineshwar is planned. Proposed stations are - Noaparha, Barrackpur Trunk Road, and Dakshineshwar.

Construction of Line 2 is expected to start in January 2009. It will run from Bidhannagar Sector 5 (in east) to Haorha rail station (in west). Unlike line 1, which is operated by Indian Railways, line 2 will be operated by a new company - Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC). Trains will be air conditioned, and underground stations would have platform screen doors. It will use standard gauge, like Kolkata tram, but unlike line 1, which uses broad gauge. Proposed stations are - Bidhannagar Sector 5, Karunamayi Housing Estate, Bikash Bhaban, Bidhannagar City Center, Bengal Chemical Office, Football Stadium, Phulbagan, Shialdaha Station, Bowbazar, Central (crossing with line 1), Mahakaran & Haorha Station. Between last two stations, metro will run under 100 ft. of Hugli River (first underwater metro in India). It will run elevated Between Bidhannagar Sector 5 and Football Stadium, and the rest will be underground. Train interchange will be provided at Shialdaha and Haorha.

8 minutes headway in peak hours (8:30-12, 16:30-19:30), 10-15 minutes during the rest of the day, 15 minutes on Sundays.

Operating 7:00-21:45 (Sundays 14:35-21:20).

- FARES and TICKETS

Automatic fare collection with magnetic tickets, fare according to km travelled - 3 fare zones:

1-5 km - 4 Rs.
5-10 km - 6 Rs.
10+ km - 8 Rs.

Discounts are available by using smartcards introduced in 2005.

Metro Railway Kolkata (Official Site)

Kolkata Metro at Wikipedia

Calcutta Tramways

Sridhar Narayanan's Kolkata Railway Map