Kolkata Metro Line 1

Kolkata Metro Line 1; ; North–South Metro
	Belgachia metro station Gate no. 1
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Metro Railway, Kolkata
Locale	Kolkata Metropolitan Area, India
Termini	Kavi Subhash (south); Noapara (north) with an extension to Dakshineswar (north)
Connecting lines	Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Line 5 Line 6
Stations	26 (24 operational)
Website	https://mtp.indianrailways.gov.in
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Kolkata Metro
Operator(s)	Metro Railway, Kolkata Indian Railways
Depot(s)	Noapara, Tollygunge and New Garia
Rolling stock	Integral Coach Factory (ICF) and CRRC Dalian
Daily ridership	700,000 to 750,000 (Weekdays)
Ridership	380,000 (Weekends)
History
Opened	24 October 1984
Last extension	Noapara (2013)
Technical
Line length	31.365 kilometres (19.489 mi) (27.28 km operational)[1]
Number of tracks	2
Character	Surface – 2; Underground – 15; Elevated – 9;
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad gauge
Electrification	750 V DC using Third rail
Operating speed	55 km/h (in service)
Signalling	Indian Railways signalling system
Route map
	Chord link line
	to Dankuni
	Eastern line
	to Ranaghat
	Eastern line
	to Bongaon
	Circular line &
	Sealdah South lines
	← to Howrah Maidan
	to Teghoria →
	Circular line &
	Sealdah South lines
	Sealdah South lines
	to Sealdah
	Sealdah South lines
	to Namkhana

The Line 1, also known as North–South Metro of the Kolkata Metro, is a rapid transit system serving Kolkata and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. It consists of 24 operational stations from Kavi Subhash to Noapara, of which 7 are elevated, 2 are at grade and the remaining 15 are underground and 2 other elevated stations under construction with a total distance of 31 km. The line connects Noapara and New Garia and uses 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Broad gauge rolling stock. Noapara was opened on 10 July 2013 and is elevated and is located 2.09 km. north of Dum Dum. It was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first operations commencing in October 1984 and the full stretch that was initially planned being operational by February 1995. On 28 December 2010, it became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways.[2] Being the country's first, and a completely indigenous process, the construction of the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair, in contrast to the Delhi Metro, which has seen the involvement of numerous international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct around 15 km underground railway from Birpara up to Tollygunge Metro Station.

History

The laying of the founding stone was done in 1972, but actual construction of line 1 started only in 1978. Line 1 is 27.28 km long with 24 stations (see above). Running of the first metro car on the line by 1984 was considered a great engineering challenge. Former railways minister A. B. A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury took a massive effort to perform it. The first section opened between Esplanade & Bhawanipore (now called Netaji Bhawan). First day Metro Railway Kolkata was started by Sri Tapan Kumar Nath and Sri Sanjay Sil. There were no connections of this stretch with the two depots at Dum Dum & Tollygunge (Now called Mahanayak Uttam Kumar). So metro cars had to be put down on the track near Esplanade by crane, by directly digging the road surface. Initially, only four-car trains were run until 1986. There were no magnetic gates or escalators at that time and ordinary revolving gates served as exits. The Metro too operated on only a single line. Two years later, line 1 extended up to Tollygunge, at the southern end. At the same time, the metro service was extended to the double line. Magnetic tickets and more entry gates were also introduced at that time. The number of compartments in each train was increased to eight.

Metro service was also started from Dum Dum, at the northern end, to Belgachia in parallel with the extension of the line to the south. But this short portion was not popular and the service was closed down to be restarted when the entire stretch along the north-south corridor was completed.

After 1986 many political incidents hampered the construction, and work almost stopped for nearly six years. After restarting work, the Dum Dum to Shyambazar metro service was started in 1994. This portion was served by four-car trains. Two months later, the Esplanade – Chandni Chowk section was opened and Chandni Chowk – Central section opened three months later. The service from Dum Dum to Tollygunge started in 1995, with Mahatma Gandhi Road metro station, opening in 1996. During this time, more magnetic gates and escalators were added and the revolving gates were slowly phased out.

In 2009, a large number of stations on Line 1 were renamed by then Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee.[3]

Timeline

The following dates represent the dates the section opened to the public, not the private inauguration.

History
Extension date	Terminals		Length
24 October 1984	Esplanade	Bhowanipore	3.40 kilometers (2.11 mi)
12 November 1984	Dum Dum	Belgachhia	2.15 kilometers (1.34 mi)
29 April 1986	Bhowanipur (now Netaji Bhaban)	Tollygunge (now Mahanayak Uttam Kumar)	4.24 kilometers (2.63 mi)
13 August 1994	Belgachhia	Shyambazar	1.63 kilometers (1.01 mi)
2 October 1994	Esplanade	Chandni Chowk	0.71 kilometers (0.44 mi)
19 February 1995	Shyambazar	Girish Park	1.92 kilometers (1.19 mi)
19 February 1995	Chandni Chowk	Central	0.60 kilometers (0.37 mi)
27 September 1995	Central	Girish Park	1.80 kilometers (1.12 mi)
22 August 2009	Tollygunge (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar)	Garia Bazar (now Kavi Nazrul)	5.85 kilometers (3.64 mi)
7 October 2010	Garia Bazar (now Kavi Nazrul)	New Garia (now Kavi Subhash)	3.00 kilometers (1.86 mi)
10 July 2013	Dum Dum	Noapara	2.09 kilometers (1.30 mi)
Total	Noapara	New Garia (now Kavi Subhash)	27.39 kilometers (17.02 mi)

List of stations (North to South)

The stations of this Corridors are:

Line 1 (North-South Corridor)
No.	Station Name		Location	Phase	Opening	Connections	Layout	Platform Type	Depot	Coordinates	Notes
No.	English	Bengali	Location	Phase	Opening	Connections	Layout	Platform Type	Depot	Coordinates	Notes
1	Dakshineswar	দক্ষিণেশ্বর	Dakshineswar	7	Under construction	Dakshineswar Dakshineswar Bus Stand Alambazar More bus Stop Ma Bhabotarini Jetty Ghat	Elevated	Side	–
2	Baranagar	বরাহনগর	Baranagar	7	Under construction	Line 1 (Under construction) Line 5 (Planned) Baranagar Road Dunlop Bus Stand	Elevated	Side	–	22°37′23″N 88°25′38″E	Also known as Dunlop Crossing[4]
3	Noapara	নোয়াপাড়া	Noapara	6	10 July 2013	Line 4 (Under Construction) 34C Bus Stand Health More Bus Stop Gharui Paschimpara Bus Stop	Elevated	Both side & island	Noapara depot	22°38′23″N 88°23′38″E
4	Dum Dum	দমদম	Dum Dum	1B	12 November 1984	Dum Dum Jn Dum Dum Station Bus Stop	Elevated	Side	–
5	Belgachhia	বেলগাছিয়া	Belgachia	1B	12 November 1984	Belgachia Tram Depot Belgachia Bus Depot Belgachia Metro Bus Stop Belgachia More Bus Stop	Underground	Island
6	Shyambazaar	শ্যামবাজার	Shyambazar	3A	15 February 1995	Shyambazar Tram Depot Shyambazar Metro Bus Stop Shyambazar 5 Point Bus Stop Shyambazar Bus Stand	Underground	Island
7	Shobhabazar Sutanuti	শোভাবাজার সুতানুটি	Shobhabazar		15 February 1995	Shobhabazar Metro Bus Stop Jaipuria College Bus Stop	Underground	Island
8	Girish Park	গিরিশ পার্ক	Jorasanko		15 February 1995	Girish Park Bus Stop	Underground	Island			Also known as Jorasanko
9	Mahatma Gandhi Road	মহাত্মা গান্ধী রোড	Burrabazar	3B	27 September 1995	Mahajati Sadan Bus Stop Ram Mandir Bus Stop Muhammad Ali Park Bus Stop Muhammad Ali Park Tram Stop	Underground	Island			Also known as Mahajati Sadan
10	Central	সেন্ট্রাল	Boubazar	3A	15 February 1995	Central Avenue Bus Stop Central Metro Station Bus Stop School of Tropical Medicine Bus Stop Medical College Bus Stop	Underground	Both side & island			Also known as Bowbazar
11	Chandni Chowk	চাঁদনি চক	Chandni Chowk	3A	15 February 1995	Chandni Chowk Bus Stop Victoria House Bus Stop	Underground	Island
12	Esplanade	এসপ্ল্যানেড	Dharmatala	1A	24 October 1984	Line 2 (Under Construction) Line 3 (Under Construction) Esplanade Tram Depot Esplanade Bus Station(WBTC,CTC,SBSTC,NBSTC)	Underground	Island			International Bus Terminus. Also known as Dharmatala / Chowringhee
13	Park Street	পার্ক স্ট্রীট	Park Street		24 October 1984	Line 3 (Under Construction) Park Street Bus Stop	Underground	Side			Now Mother Teresa Sarani
14	Maidan	ময়দান	Maidan		24 October 1984	Maidan Bus Stop	Underground	Island
15	Rabindra Sadan	রবীন্দ্র সদন	Rabindra Sadan		24 October 1984	Exide More Bus Stop Rabindra Sadan Bus Stop Chowringhee Road-Calcutta Club Bus Stop	Underground	Island			Also known as Exide
16	Netaji Bhavan	নেতাজি ভবন	Bhawanipore		24 October 1984	Netaji Bhawan Bus Stop Jadu Babur Bazar Bus Stop	Underground	Island			Also known as Bhawanipore
17	Jatin Das Park	যতীন দাস পার্ক	Hazra	2	29 April 1986	Hazra Bus Stop Jatin Das Park Bus Stop Sujata Sadan Bus Stop	Underground	Island			Also known as Hazra
18	Kalighat	কালীঘাট	Kalighat		29 April 1986	Rasbehari Crossing Tram Stop Rashbehari Crossing Bus Stop Rashbehari Gurudwara Bus Stop	Underground	Island			Also known as Rashbehari
19	Rabindra Sarobar	রবীন্দ্র সরোবর	Rabindra Sarobar		29 April 1986	Tollygunge Charu Market Tram Stop Rabindra Sarobar Bus Stop Bhabani Cinema Bus Stop	Underground	Island			Also known as Charu Market
20	Mahanayak Uttam Kumar	মহানায়ক উত্তমকুমার	Tollygunge		29 April 1986	Tollygunge Tram Depot Tollygunge Bus Depot Tollygunge Tram Depot Bus Stop	At Grade	Both side & island	Tollygunge depot		Also known as Tollygunge
21	Netaji	নেতাজি	Kudghat	4	22 August 2009	Kudghat Bus Stand	Elevated	Side	–		Also known as Kudghat
22	Masterda Surya Sen	মাস্টারদা সূর্য সেন	Bansdroni		22 August 2009	Bansdroni Bus Stand	Elevated	Side			Also known as Bansdroni
23	Gitanjali	গীতাঞ্জলি	Naktala		22 August 2009	Rathtala Bus Stop Naktala Minibus Stand Bunty Cinema Bus Stop	Elevated	Side			Also known as Naktala
24	Kavi Nazrul	কবি নজরুল	Garia		22 August 2009	Garia Metro Bus Stop Garia More Bus Stop Garia Bazar Bus Stop Garia 6 Number Bus Stand Garia 5 Number Bus Stand	Elevated	Side			Also known as Garia Bazar
25	Shahid Khudiram	শহিদ ক্ষুদিরাম	Briji	5	7 October 2010	Khudiram Metro Bus Stop Dhalai Bridge Bus Stop	Elevated	Side			Also known as Dhalai Bridge
26	Kavi Subhash	কবি সুভাষ	New Garia	5	7 October 2010	Line 6 (Under Construction) New Garia New Garia Bus Stand	At Grade	Side	New Garia depot		Also known as New Garia

Kolkata Metro near Dum Dum metro station

Alignment & interchanges

Dum Dum, Park Street, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar, Netaji, Masterda Surya Sen, Gitanjali, Kavi Nazrul, Shahid Khudiram and Kavi Subhash have side platforms; all other stations have island platforms. Central and Noapara are exceptions as they have both platforms on the sides as well as in the centre. Dum Dum, Kavi Subhash and Rabindra Sarobar have connections to interchange with Kolkata Suburban Railway. Shyambazar, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Esplanade, Kalighat, Rabindra Sarobar & Mahanayak Uttam Kumar stations have connections to the tram network. EM Bypass can be accessed from the Shahid Khudiram metro station and Kavi Subhash metro station.

Extension up to New Garia

Mamata Banerjee during her first tenure as the railway minister initiated the project of Tollygunge – Garia metro extension. During her second tenure (2009–2011) she inaugurated the extension, and also introduced new Air Conditioned rakes, manufactured indigenously at the Integral Coach Factory.

The new extension to Garia Bazar in the south opened to the public on 23 August 2009. The Garia Bazar station was named after Kavi Nazrul. A final extension, in the southern end, from Kavi Nazrul (Garia Bazar) to Kavi Subhash (New Garia) was inaugurated on 7 October 2010, bringing the total number of stations to 23. On the same day, two Air-Conditioned rakes were also pressed into service.

Future extension

The plan to extend Line 1 in the north from Noapara to Dakshineswar (4.0 km) is under execution now. It will be met by the metro line from Barrackpore at Baranagar (12.5 km).[5] Trial runs for this stretch has started on 23rd December 2020, after delay due to COVID-19 pandemic and is stated to be opened by February 2021.[6]

The stations on this stretch will be:

Features

Technical features

A metro car is getting ready for the journey towards Kavi Subhas (New Garia) at Dum Dum

Metro construction is of a very complex nature requiring the application of several new technologies in the fields of civil, electrical, signaling and telecommunication engineering. Indian engineers backed by their own experience and supplemented by their studies abroad adopted advanced technologies in the following fields for the first time in India.

Cut and cover method of construction using diaphragm walls and sheet piles.
Use of extensive decking to keep the traffic flowing over the cut while construction is in progress underneath.
Shield tunneling using compressed air and airlocks.
Ballastless track using elastic fastenings, rubber pads, epoxy mortar and nylon inserts.
Air-conditioning and ventilation system for environmental control of stations and tunnels.
Third Rail current collection system for traction.
Underground substations with dry-type transformers and SF₆ circuit breakers.
Tunnel-Train VHF-radio communication system.
Microprocessor-based train control and supervisory remote control system for substations.
Automatic ticket vending and checking system.

Salient features

Total route length	27.39 km (17.02 mi)
Stations	24 (15 underground, 2 on the surface and 7 elevated)
Gauge	1676 mm (5 ft 6 in), Indian Broad Gauge
Cars per train	8
Maximum permissible speed	55 km/h (34 mph)
Average speed	30–31 km/h (19 mph)
Voltage	750 V D.C.
Method of current collection	Third Rail
Travel Time: Noapara to Kavi Subhash	54 minutes (approx.)
Headways	Average 10 minutes
Total estimated cost of the project	₹18.25 billion (US$255.9 million) (approx.)
Environment control	Forced ventilation with washed and cooled air in case of non-AC rakes and air conditioning in case of AC rakes

Rolling stock

The whole fleet is vestibuled. Carbodies and mechanical components were made by ICF with electrical components made by NGEF, Bangalore. The fleet is unique in that it is the only railroad equipment in India with end-mounted cab doors (except for some of the WAG-6 series locomotives).

ICF has specifically designed, manufactured and supplied these cars for the first underground railway system. The special features incorporated are:

Traction power supply through third rail current collection system.
Automatic door opening/closing and continuous monitoring of the transit.
Automatic Train Stop (ATS) system which will automatically apply the brakes in case of human failure.
Automatic train operation (ATO) with the driver acting as the train supervisor (optional).
A public address system is provided on the trains to announce approaching stations. A central dispatcher can contact any of the train crew and also make important announcements directly to passengers over the system.

With all these features, the design and manufacturing process of these cars to a very high standard of reliability and safety has been a challenge. This was achieved without any technical collaboration.

Reservation for women

In 2008, the Kolkata Metro Railway experimented with the practice of reserving two entire compartments for women.[7]

This system was found to be ineffective and caused inconvenience for a lot of commuters (including women) and the plan was eventually dropped by the metro authority. But a certain section of seats in each of the eight compartments is reserved for women.

Problems with this line

The coaches were manufactured by ICF with no air-conditioning Indian Railways signalling was adopted instead of European signalling.[8]

The founder of Delhi Metro, E. Sreedharan said Indian Railways are not experts at urban transport, and misplanned the Kolkata metro from the beginning.[8] A private company should run the metro and can bring it up to standard in five years.[8]

Since, Kolkata Metro is under Indian Railways, it can't take its own independent decisions. It has to rely on Indian Railways for everything (like rakes etc.). The rakes are ordered directly from ICF without floating any global tenders. And ICF being inexperienced in manufacturing metro rakes, has delivered faulty rakes. Thus causing snags and accidents.

References

"Kolkata Metro Map".
"Kolkata Metro is now the 17th zone of Indian Railways". The Times of India. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/game-of-the-name/cid/1266496
TNN. "Mamata paves way for Metro's northern journey". Times of India. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
Express News Service (3 January 2010). "Mamata lays foundation for Dum Dum-Dakshineswar Metro". Express India. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
Mondal, Biswadeep (23 December 2020). "Metrorail Kolkata conducts first trial run of Kolkata's Dakshineswar Metro". Mint.
"Life in a ladies' Metro". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"DMRC MD E Sreedharan says many Indian cities need metro rail urgently - Business Today". Businesstoday.intoday.in. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Kolkata Metro Map".

[2] "Kolkata Metro is now the 17th zone of Indian Railways". The Times of India. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.

[3] ttps://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/game-of-the-name/cid/1266496

[Name-4] TNN. "Mamata paves way for Metro's northern journey". Times of India. Retrieved 12 October 2019.

[Mamata_lays_foundation_for_Dum_Dum-Dakshineswar_Metro-5] Express News Service (3 January 2010). "Mamata lays foundation for Dum Dum-Dakshineswar Metro". Express India. Retrieved 7 July 2012.

[6] Mondal, Biswadeep (23 December 2020). "Metrorail Kolkata conducts first trial run of Kolkata's Dakshineswar Metro". Mint.

[7] "Life in a ladies' Metro". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 21 February 2020.

[intoday1-8] "DMRC MD E Sreedharan says many Indian cities need metro rail urgently - Business Today". Businesstoday.intoday.in. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.