On Wednesday, March 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first underwater metro service, heralded as an engineering feat.

The Howrah Maidan-to-Esplanade section, a pioneering addition to the urban transit system, stands out as India’s first metro tunnel traversing a major river.

This section of the east-west line of Kolkata Metro also features the nation’s deepest metro station, the Howrah Metro Station, situated at a depth of 33 metres.

The successful trial run on this section, navigating a tunnel positioned 32 meters below the water’s surface, completed in April 2023, marked a significant milestone for Kolkata Metro.

The prime minister also unveiled the Kavi Subhash (New Garia)-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (Ruby Crossing) and Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections in Kolkata.