Commuters tired of battling Kolkata’s traffic to reach Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport can soon breathe a sigh of relief.
The first-phase of the Metro link, connecting the airport to the city, and suburbs is almost ready, with officials expecting a launch within a couple of months, promising a faster, and more convenient travel option. The initial 6.2-kilometre stretch of the Noapara-Barasat Corridor, named the Yellow Line, will connect four key stations: Noapara, Dum Dum Cantt, Jessore Road, and terminal station, Jai Hind Biman Bandar (Airport).
This underground section from Jessore Road marks a significant step forward in integrating the airport seamlessly into Kolkata’s expanding Metro network. “This is phase I of the 16 kilometre Noapara-Barasat Corridor,” confirmed a senior engineer at the construction site, highlighting the larger vision for enhanced connectivity across the northern fringes of the city.
According to project officials, the construction at the airport presented unique engineering challenges, primarily due to stringent height restrictions, limiting the use of certain machinery and consequently impacting the project’s pace. Despite the hurdles, the first phase is now fully ready for operation, they said.
The Jai Hind Metro Station, spanning across multiple levels – ground, concourse, platform, and undercroft – is designed to handle a large volume of passengers, with the concourse area alone covering a massive area of 14,645 square metres.
Additionally, the Metro Station will also have five platforms, the maximum across India, senior officials of metro said.
Platform 1, will be a side platform, platforms 2 ,3, 4 and 5 will form an island platform, the officials said. These five lines will cater to different routes, with officials indicating that platform 5 will be reserved for emergency services, while platforms 1 and 2 will serve the Noapara-Airport route, and platforms 3 and 4 will be dedicated to the New Garia VIP stretch.
To ensure smooth passenger flow, the station will be equipped with six stairs and lifts each, and twelve escalators. In addition to this, it will have two drinking water booths, two paid toilet complexes (each with facilities for differently-abled individuals), and subway connectivity.
The Jai Hind Yard spans 17,497 square metres, with the concourse taking up a significant portion. Jai Hind Biman Bandar station, the key hub of this phase, will serve as the terminal for the 6.2km stretch, eventually linking Barasat in North 24-Parganas with Noapara, existing North-South Metro corridor. The design features underground stations at Jessore Road and Jai Hind Biman Bandar for airport access, while Dum Dum Cantonment is elevated.
A senior official supervising work at Jai Hind Metro said, “Biman Bandar (Yellow Line) Noapara -Airport (Jai Hind) Metro Station line will soon be operational, which means people from north suburban areas will be able to avail (to and fro) metro directly from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport. Also Kolkata will be connected to Jai Hind Metro via DumDum junction and Noapara.”
“Noapara and Jai Hind are ready for commercial operations. Engineering work of phase one is totally complete,” he added.
The 7-km metro line connecting Noapara to Jai Hind (Airport) awaits final approval from the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
Two sections are at different stages: Noapara to Dum Dum Cantonment (2.84 km) received CRS authorization last June, while Dum Dum Cantonment to Jai Hind (4.20 km) is set for CRS inspection this month.
Meanwhile, the Noapara-Barasat Corridor’s subsequent phases face challenges. “Work is in progress on 2.48 km Biman Bandar to Michelnagar, stretch of Phase II. Phase III- Michael Nagar to Barasat, work on 8.25 kms is held up due to encroachment issues. A tender for the Airport to Michael Nagar section has been floated, but some permissions are needed from Airport Authority of India,” an official explained.
Meanwhile, other crucial metro projects in Kolkata are also progressing steadily.
As per officials, PM Modi is expected to inaugurate the 2.6 km extension of the East-West Metro from Esplanade to Sealdah soon. It will mark the full operationalisation of the East-West Metro corridor, connecting Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector V. The 4.5-km Orange Line extension from Hemant Mukherjee (Ruby) to Beleghata is nearly complete.
The launch of the Airport-Metro link promises to usher in a new era of convenience for travelers. “I am eagerly waiting for the inauguration, making journeys smoother and efficient for people like me,” said Aniket Das, a graphic designer, and a resident of Dunlop.
“It is a stressful task to book a cab from Airport. BT Road traffic is famous…sometimes it takes an hour to cross 1.5kms from Dunlop crossing or on Expressway,” said makeup artist Anusua Panigrahi, a resident.