Kolkata Metro Orange Line Phase II Extension Deadline Revised to March 2025.

The deadline for the Phase II extension of the Kolkata Metro Orange Line, from Ruby to Sector V, has been revised to March 2025. The implementing agency, RVNL, which had initially aimed to complete the 4km extension by December 2024, has acknowledged that it will not be able to meet this target due to ongoing construction challenges, particularly an 800-meter viaduct gap that still needs to be bridged at Chingrighata.

Currently, work is in progress to close a 125-meter gap at Metropolitan, while the larger gap at Chingrighata remains a critical obstacle. Despite these setbacks, the corridor has made significant progress over the past year, overcoming key land acquisition hurdles at Tagore Park, Metropolitan, Chingrighata, and Nicco Park. Additionally, the 4.5km Ruby-Metropolitan section has received the necessary safety clearance from the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) for revenue operations.

RVNL, which has been allocated Rs 1,791 crore for this fiscal year, is now planning to extend the line further, ensuring better connectivity with the East-West Metro and Green Line at Sector V. "It makes more sense to start with an 8.5km extension of the Orange Line. This will allow the corridor to connect with other key metro lines at Sector V," explained a senior Railways official.

The Orange Line (Line 6) of Kolkata Metro, approved in 2010, initially began operations in March this year, covering a truncated 5.4km stretch from New Garia (Kavi Subhas station) to Ruby crossing (Hemanta Mukhopadhyay station). The eventual plan for the 29km corridor will link the New Garia terminal with the city’s airport, passing through the EM Bypass and New Town, though it has faced multiple land acquisition challenges.

Notable obstacles have included a significant 76-meter gap at Tagore Park, now bridged with a hanging bridge over a canal, and a critical viaduct gap at Metropolitan, where work was delayed due to the lack of space for the necessary 90-meter viaduct to accommodate eight-car trains. Traffic police intervention in June helped clear the way for the construction of the last two piers at Metropolitan.

Work at Chingrighata, where construction had been stalled due to the positioning of a pier in the middle of the crossing, has now resumed. With progress on these key gaps, RVNL is targeting an early 2025 CRS inspection, followed by the launch of the Ruby-Sector V section of the Orange Line.

ET