Metro services from Dumdum Airport- This long-cherished dream of thousands of fliers of the ‘City of Joy’ is steadily becoming a reality. These travelers who like to take flights to go elsewhere from the city have been demanding direct Metro connectivity to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport for a smooth, hassle-free journey for quite sometime. Keeping their demand in mind and to provide a direct Metro link to the Kolkata airport, like any other modern city in the world, Railway Ministry is giving importance to Noapara-Barasat via Bimanbandar Metro Project. Hon’ble Railway Minister himself has been monitoring the progress of this project. As a result, work of the Metro station at NSCBI Airport and Noapara-Barasat via Bimanbandar Metro Project has been progressing well and the structural work of Airport station is now over. Now, senior Metro Officers and engineers, with the help of the Airport Authority of India and local authorities are working round-the-clock to complete the finishing work, beautification work in order to make this station ready for commissioning.
This under-construction Metro station at airport will be the terminal station of Kavi Subhas-Airport via Rajarhat Metro Corridor also. For this Corridor, this station has been named as Jai Hind. As this station will be the interchanging point of two Metro Corridors so it is expected that footfalls here will be huge. Keeping that in mind all necessary arrangements are being made. This station complex has been built over an area of 22,238 sq. meter. Over this huge area there will be five underground platforms, two platforms each for two Corridors and one extra platform for emergency use. There will be spacious parking lot above this underground station. This station is divided into three levels, i.e. Ground Level, Concourse Level and Platform Level. In order to ensure smooth movement of passengers among these three levels, there will be 7 entry/exit points, 2 subways,12 lifts and 22 escalators. Out of the two subways, one subway will connect NSCBI Airport and another will facilitate passengers movement to/from Jessore Road. One of the unique features of the subway towards Airport will be presence of two 85-meter long and 2-meter wide automatic travellators. These travellators will help fliers to enter/exit Metro station with their luggage freely. In this station complex, 2 lifts and 2 escalators will be dedicated for airport-bound passengers only.
The platform level of Airport station housing five platforms has been built at a depth of 11.4 meter from the ground level. This level is spread over an area of 5130 sq. meter and each platform is 180 meter long and the tracks have been laid at a depth of 12.8 meter from the ground level. These tracks will be connected to the Bimanbandar Yard, the largest underground yard in the country.
The Concourse Level of this platform is spread over 14100 sq. meter area where there will be 8 ticket counters to cater to the commuters. Other modern passenger amenities will also be available at this level and the entire area will be aesthetically decorated and air-conditioned.
Metro authorities are not only constructing this much-awaited station complex but also ensuring beautification work of this area, to create a permanent and impressive first impression on the mind of the guests , travelling from the other parts of the country or globe. Already landscaping work of around 16,500 sq. meter area has been done. Beautiful gardens have come up on the area under which Metro will start plying soon. In these gardens Ashoka, Palm and other exotic saplings have been planted and beautiful fences have been erected. Once this station is commissioned, these gardens will be decked up with beautiful illumination. In another unique initiative, the abandoned piers of the Circular Railway have been cut and converted into small gardens on the pavements. Metro authorities are also repairing the damaged roads and constructing attractive pavements after the structural work is over.
That day is not far when sleek and swanky Metro station at Kolkata airport will welcome the guests of this city. Metro authorities are targeting to commission this new station in the next year. Once that is done, this station is surely going to be the cynosure of all eyes, making all of us proud. The Gateway to this station will surely be another selfie spot of Kolkata.
Kausik Mitra , Chief Public Relations Officer , Metro Railway stated this in a press release.
