The Kolkata Metro Railway, the oldest metro network in India, will soon inaugurate the commercial service on the first phase of the much-awaited Orange Line. The authority broke the news through an official statement, which read, “Commercial services on this line will start as soon as the Railway Board decides the date of inauguration.” It, however, did not reveal any exact date and time of the commencement.
The newly built route will cover a distance of 30 km in total with the first stretch ending at the Hemanta Mukherjee Sarani station, near Ballygunge. After going through the safety inspection, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CSR) gave the clearance for the commercial operations earlier on January 30.
The 5 km-long corridor, from Kavi Subhas to Hemanta Mukherjee Sarani, will consist of five stations. Apart from the source and final stations, the other stations are named Satyajit Ray, Jyotirindra Nath Nandi and Kavi Sukanta. Along with the aforementioned statement, the city’s metro network released the fare structure of the new route. Similar to the Delhi metro, the Kolkata metro will introduce the Single Ticket System. It is expected to make the journey more convenient for passengers, who will travel through both the Blue and Orange lines.
Also Read: Kolkata Metro To Introduce QR-Code Based Tickets On North-South Line
The maximum fare on the new stretch of the Orange Line will be Rs 45, while the minimum fare is just Rs 20. People boarding the metro from any source station like Dakshineshwar or Dum Dum will have to pay Rs 45 to reach Ballygunge. Commuters travelling from the Tollygunge station (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar) and the Garia station (Kavi Shubas) will pay the fare of Rs 35 and Rs 20.
When fully completed, the Orange Line will have a total of 24 stations and will connect New Garia with the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, passing through eastern Kolkata, Salt Lake and New Town. There will be two depots on this stretch in New Town and New Garia.
As it connects the southern and eastern portions of the city with the airport, this stretch is anticipated to draw a large number of daily commuters. The Metro authorities tested maximum speed using coaches from the Blue Line earlier in January. During the trials, the speedometer touched the highest speed of 83 kmph.
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