PM inaugurated India's 1st underwater metro in Kolkata, West Bengal

India's first underwater metro service was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This groundbreaking addition to the metropolitan transportation network is a marvel of engineering. 

• The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section is the first metro tunnel in India to pass under a significant river.
• This is situated beneath the Hooghly River, which divides Kolkata and Howrah. It has the country's deepest metro station, the Howrah Metro station. In April 2023, a trial journey was completed, marking a significant milestone for the Kolkata Metro. 
• The tunnel is situated 13 meters below the riverbed and 33 meters below the surface level. 
• It comprises four stations - Esplanade, Mahakaran, Howrah, and Howrah Maidan - and can be traversed in just 45 seconds.
• The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation established the metro, which was constructed by Afcons Infrastructure. 
• Researchers say that the British initially proposed the concept of an underwater transportation system similar to London's in 1921.
• The 4.8-km stretch of the East-West Metro from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade, which cost Rs 4,965 crore, is a testament to engineering ingenuity and a historic advancement in India's metro infrastructure.

Kolkata Metro

• In 1949, Dr. B.C. Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, came up with the idea of building an Underground Railway for Kolkata. T
• The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) executed the project, and the Soviet Union (now Russia) provided planning and design assistance. On October 24, 1984, the first section of the Kolkata Metro was inaugurated.

Facts

• Oldest (First) Metro Rail System: Kolkata Metro
• Newest Metro Rail System: Navi Mumbai (11.1 km)
• Largest Metro System: Delhi Metro (347 km)
• Smallest Metro System: Kanpur Metro (8.73 km)
• Busiest (Highest Ridership) Metro System: Delhi Metro
• India’s deepest Metro: East-West Metro station at Howrah
• E. Sreedharan, known as "Metro Man.
• The deepest metro station in the world is Arsenalna Station on the Kiev Metro in Ukraine, at a depth of 107 meters. Union Square Station on the Dubai Metro in the United Arab Emirates is the largest metro station in the world. 
• The Budapest Metro in Hungary is the only metro system worldwide that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It opened in 1896 and is the second oldest system in the world. 
• The longest single escalator in the world is found at Park Pobedy Station on the Moscow Metro in Russia. It is 126.8 meters long and takes two minutes and forty seconds to ride.