Kolkata Metro East-West Corridor: Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the first phase of Kolkata Metro’s East-West corridor. The stretch connects Sector V with Salt Lake Stadium, and in between, it covers Bengal Chemical, Karunamoyee, Central Park, City Centre metro stations. The new 16.5 km Kolkata Metro East-West Corridor project, which has been executed by the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL), aims to connect Howrah on river Hoogly’s west bank with Salt City Lake on the east side. The Kolkata Metro East-West Corridor corridor consists of a 10.8 km underground stretch and a 5.75 km elevated stretch. In a first in India, metro trains will ply under the river Hoogly. The project is expected to ease the traffic congestion of the city as well as reduce vehicular pollution. The first phase of the East-West Metro corridor, which has been thrown open, is 5.3 km long and covers six elevated stations. Here are top 10 salient features to know about the newly opened corridor:
1) The East-West Metro rake has a passenger-carrying capacity of 2070 with a seating capacity of 286 commuters. Also, there is a dedicated seating space for senior citizens.
2) Inside each coach, there are mobile as well as laptop chargers for passengers.
3) Inside each coach, emergency announcements from Operation Control Centre will be heard.
4) The East-West Metro has been provided with the Communication Based Train Control System, which ensures safe passage of trains and optimizes line capacity. Also, it enables automatic train operation with minimal intervention from the Motorman.
5) Platform screen doors have been provided, that will enhance passenger safety. Also, this will optimize the platform space by accommodating more people during peak hours.
6) Emergency Stop Plunger System has been provided at each station to stop trains in emergencies during the entry/exit of the train to and from the platform.
7) All stations have been provided with toilets for ladies and gents at the concourse level.
8) Many features for Divyang have been provided including designated seating arrangements, toilets at stations, barrier-free movement, tactiles in concourse and platform area as well as designated space in trains for wheel chairs.
9) To reduce the train generated noise, absorptive noise barriers have been provided in the critical areas near hospitals and schools.
10) Many other features like CCTVs, lifts, escalators, baggage scanners, door frame metal detectors, fire extinguishers have been provided at stations.
