Metro Railway, Kolkata is going to complete 40 years of its service to the Nation on 24th October. To mark this momentous occasion, a week-long celebrations have been arranged which got underway from today with the Press Conference of Shri P. Uday Kumar Reddy, General Manager, Metro Railway at Metro Rail Bhavan.
In the Press Conference, General Manager highlighted different promising facets of Metro Railway, Kolkata, India’s first Metro and how it has succeeded in addressing the need of a Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) in a city like Kolkata. Reddy also highlighted the gradual evolution of this Metro system to alleviate traffic woes of Kolkata and adjoining areas.
On this occasion, General Manager has also released a commemorative Smart Card of Metro Railway. This card will be available at the counters very soon.
Reddy also released three short films to make this occasion memorable. In one film celebrities like Rituparna Sengupta, Goutam Ghosh, Harsh Neotia, Jhulan Goswami and others have shared their thoughts about Metro Railway and how it has transformed Kolkata’s transport system. In another film historical nuances and the gradual expansion of Metro has been highlighted. Daily commuters and the first Motorman Tapan Nath have shared their thoughts about this unique Metro system in the third film which has been appreciated by all.
In the Press Meet, Reddy, General Manager, Metro Railway mentioned that the omnipresence of the Metro system in Kolkata has made our life fast, smooth and hassle-free. Metro has already stitched Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas together and become ‘Amar Metro’. Residents of Howrah, Hooghly, Medinipur, Burdwan, North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia are availing Metro services from Howrah, Sealdah, Dumdum and Kavi Subhash stations. Even passengers from other states are also availing our services from Howrah and Sealdah. As a result, Metro Railway is now carrying around 7 lakhs commuters daily. This was unthinkable on 24th October, 1984 when the first Metro services began at Kolkata.
Showing adaptability to changing time and demand, Metro Railway looks forward to reaching new destinations like Rajarhat, New Town, Airport, Barasat as well as connecting Howrah and Sealdah and spreading Metro network over 100-km stretch. Works of all pending projects have picked up momentum in recent times and enough funds are being provided to complete these projects at the earliest. With proper co-ordination and help from all stakeholders, Metro Railway is expecting to spread further with the completion of all the projects. By 2025, Kolkata Metro network will be spread over 90-km and by 2027 it will further increase to 130-km. Metro Railway also has a plan to connect to the airport both from New Garia and Noapara sides by December, 2025. Once that is achieved, Metro network will be able to completely encircle Kolkata and Howrah benefitting lakhs of commuters, General Manager added.
Metro Railway, Kolkata has made elaborate plans to celebrate this momentous occasion through a series of events from 18th October to 24th October, 2024. A logo for this event has already been prepared and different competitions, Heritage Walk, Walkathon, Exhibition, Running of Old Non-AC Rake, Cultural Evening etc. have been planned in order to make it a memorable occasion. Special films have also been made where daily commuters to celebrities have shared their views about ‘Our Own Metro’. In the exhibition, rare photographs, Old Tickets, Smart Cards and Philately items will be on display. A special cover and stamp will also be released during the celebrations.
Metro Railway, is expecting all the passengers and stakeholders to come forward for joining this gala celebrations.
Kausik Mitra, Chief Public Relations Officer,Metro Railway stated this in a release.
