Kolkata, Mar 15: The newly-inaugurated India's first underwater metro line began public operations in West Bengal's capital Kolkata on Friday with commuters seen queueing up for the first ride on the country's first-ever train ride under water.

People were seen clapping and raising 'Vande Bharat' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogans as they travelled in the country's first underwater metro train, an engineering marvel.

A train began its journey from the Howrah Maidan station on the East-West metro corridor of Kolkata at 7 am today. Simultaneously another train started from Esplanade station at the same time.

The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the Kolkata's metropolitan transportation network is situated beneath the Hooghly River. The under-river section of the tunnel is 520 metres long.

Metro Railway Kolkata posted on social media platform X, "First commercial #Metro service entering newly inaugurated #Majerhat station of #PurpleLine this morning..."

First commercial #Metro service entering newly inaugurated #Majerhat station of #PurpleLine this morning... pic.twitter.com/84GO8IxacV
— Metro Railway Kolkata (@metrorailwaykol) March 15, 2024

A placard held by one commuter said, "Thank you very much Modi ji for making India proud."

Another passenger said, "I am so excited to travel in India's first underwater metro train. It hardly took 10 minutes to get the tickets."

The tunnel of the underwater metro is decorated with blue LED lights to mark the lower part of Hooghly River. The Kolkata underwater metro is scheduled to run on weekdays every 12 to 15 minutes in this section. The last metro of the day is available at 9.45 pm in both directions.

PM Narendra Modi had inaugurated metro operations in Kolkata on March 6. After the inauguration, he also took a metro ride with school students. During the journey, he engaged in conversations with them and the metro staff.

In addition to the underwater metro, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the Kavi Subhash - Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Metro section and the Taratala - Majerhat Metro section, which is part of the Joka-Esplanade line.

The latter features the Majerhat Metro Station, an architectural marvel being an elevated station spanning railway lines, platforms, and a canal, further showcasing the innovative approach towards improving urban mobility.

The Prime Minister had also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple connectivity projects worth Rs 15,400 crore.

PM Modi also flagged off several other important projects across the country. These include the Pune Metro's stretch from Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi, the Kochi Metro Rail Phase I Extension from SN Junction Metro station to Tripunithura Metro station, the Agra Metro's stretch from Taj East Gate to Mankameshwar, Pune Metro and Esplanade Metro- Kolkata.

(ANI)

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