Kolkata set to see India’s first underwater train on Feb 13

Kolkata, India’s City of Joy, is all set to see the country’s first underwater take a run on February 13, 2020. The said train is a metro line, the East-West Corridor, and will run between Salt Lake Sector V and Howrah. The said metro line spans a total of around 16 km, with a part of it running underwater in River Hooghly.
The metro train is the first of its kind in India and has been drawing comparisons with the likes of Eurostar, which connects London and Paris. It is estimated that the train, while underwater, will be travelling at a depth that can be compared to a 10-storey tall building! The underwater stretch for the metro train will comprise of twin tunnels, which are made of 1.4 m wide concrete rings. They have been further fitted with hydrophilic gaskets to prevent water from entering the tunnels. A staggering INR 8500 crores has been the estimated project cost as yet.


The project has been hailed by the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) as signalling many of the “firsts” in the country. The metro train will be inaugurated by Railway Minister Piyush Goel on February 13, 2020, also marking it as the second metro line in the city.