Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated three new metro routes in Kolkata, including the first-ever direct link to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here.
The PM waved a green flag to commence operations on the new routes. He was accompanied by West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar.
The 13.61 km-long network, spread across the 'Green', 'Yellow 'and 'Orange' lines, marks a defining moment in the city's metro journey that began in 1984.
Officials said the new stretches are expected to ease congestion on Kolkata's choked roads and transform daily commuting for millions.
The Green Line extension between Sealdah and Esplanade (2.45 km) will provide the first seamless metro link between Howrah and Sealdah, the two busiest railway terminals in the metropolis, they said. What takes nearly 50 minutes by road through snarled traffic will now be covered in about 11 minutes underground.
For air travellers, the Yellow Line stretch from Noapara to Jai Hind Bimanbandar (6.77 km) will, for the first time in 41 years, connect the airport directly with the city's metro grid, the officials said.
Travelling to the airport, which typically takes over an hour by road, is expected to be halved to just 30 minutes, they said.
The third corridor, the Orange Line, will ensure seamless connectivity between Kolkata's east and west, adding capacity to a network that has been steadily growing in recent years.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee skipped the inauguration event, with TMC leaders citing alleged harassment of migrants from the state in BJP-ruled regions as the reason.
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