Line 1, Kolkata Metro

Kolkata Metro Line 1 North–South Metro
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Kolkata Metro
Locale	Kolkata, India
Termini	Kavi Subhash (south) Noapara (north)
Stations	24
Daily ridership	550,000 to 600,000 (Average)
Operation
Opened	24 October 1984
Operator(s)	Kolkata Metro zone of Indian Railways
Character	Surface – 2 Underground – 15 Elevated – 7
Technical
Line length	27.39 km (17.02 mi)
Track gauge	1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad gauge
Electrification	750 V DC using third rail
Operating speed	55 km/h (in service)
Route map Towards Barackpore Noapara Main Line towards Sealdah Dum Dum Belgachhia Shyambazaar Shobhabazar Sutanuti Girish Park Mahatma Gandhi Road Central Chandni Chowk Esplanade Park Street Maidan Rabindra Sadan Netaji Bhavan Jatin Das Park Kalighat Rabindra Sarobar Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Netaji Masterda Surya Sen Gitanjali Kavi Nazrul Shahid Khudiram Kavi Subhash

Kolkata Metro near Dum Dum

The Line 1, also known as North–South Metro of the Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving Kolkata, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. It consists of 23 stations from Kavi Subhash to Dum Dum, of which 6 are elevated, 2 are at grade and the remaining 15 are underground, with a total distance of 25.30 km. The line connects Dum Dum and New Garia and uses 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) Broad gauge rolling stock. Noapara is opened on 10 July 2013. It is elevated and is located 2.09 km. north of Dum Dum. So now (July 2013 onwards), Metro runs a total of 27.39 Kilometers from Noapara to Kavi Subhash where there are total 24 nos. of Stations. It was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first operations commencing in October, 1984 and the full stretch that was initially planned being operational by February 1995. On 28 December 2010, it became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways.^[1] Being the country's first, and a completely indigenous process, the construction of the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair, in contrast to the Delhi Metro, which has seen the involvement of numerous international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct around 15 km underground railway from Birpara up to just before of Tollygunj Metro Station.

History

The laying of the founding stone was done in 1972, but actual construction of line 1 started only in 1978. Line 1 is 17 km. long with 17 stations (see above). Running of the first metro car on the line by 1984 was considered a great engineering challenge.Former railways minister A. B. A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury took a massive effort to perform it. The first section opened between Esplanade & Bhowanipore (now called Netaji Bhawan). First day Metro Railway Kolkata were started by Sri Tapan Kumar Nath and Sri Sanjay Sil. There were no connections of this stretch with the two depots at Dum Dum & Tollygunge (Now called Mahanayak Uttam Kumar). So metro cars had to be put down on the track near Esplanade by crane, by directly digging the road surface. Initially, only four car trains were run until 1986. There were no magnetic gates or escalators at that time and ordinary revolving gates served as exits. The Metro too operated on only a single line. Two years later, line 1 extended up to Tollygunge, at the southern end. At the same time, the metro service was extended to the double line. Magnetic tickets and more entry gates were also introduced at that time. The number of compartments in each train was increased to eight.

Metro service was also started from Dum Dum, at the northern end, to Belgachhia in parallel with the extension of the line to the south. But this short portion was not popular and the service was closed down to be restarted when the entire stretch along the north–south corridor was completed.

After 1986 many political incidents hampered the construction, and work almost stopped for nearly six years. After restarting work, the Dum Dum to Shyambazar metro service was started in 1994. This portion was served by four car trains. Two months later, the Esplanade – Chandni Chowk section was opened, and Chandni Chowk – Central section opened three months later. The service from Dum Dum to Tollygunge started in 1995, with Mahatma Gandhi Road Station, being opened in 1996. During this time, more magnetic gates and escalators were added and the revolving gates were slowly phased out.

Timeline

The following dates represent the dates the section opened to the public, not the private inauguration.

History
Extension date	Terminals		Length
24 October 1984	Esplanade	Bhowanipore	3.40 kilometers (2.11 mi)
12 November 1984	Dum Dum	Belgachhia	2.15 kilometers (1.34 mi)
29 April 1986	Bhowanipur (now Netaji Bhaban)	Tollygunge (now Mahanayak Uttam Kumar)	4.24 kilometers (2.63 mi)
13 August 1994	Belgachhia	Shyambazar	1.63 kilometers (1.01 mi)
2 October 1994	Esplanade	Chandni Chowk	0.71 kilometers (0.44 mi)
19 February 1995	Shyambazar	Girish Park	1.92 kilometers (1.19 mi)
19 February 1995	Chandni Chowk	Central	0.60 kilometers (0.37 mi)
27 September 1995	Central	Girish Park	1.80 kilometers (1.12 mi)
22 August 2009	Tollygunge (Mahanayak Uttam Kumar)	Garia Bazar (now Kavi Nazrul)	5.85 kilometers (3.64 mi)
7 October 2010	Garia Bazar (now Kavi Nazrul)	New Garia (now Kavi Subhash)	3.00 kilometers (1.86 mi)
10 July 2013	Dum Dum	Noapara	2.09 kilometers (1.30 mi)
Total	Noapara	New Garia (now Kavi Subhash)	27.39 kilometers (17.02 mi)

Route & Future Extension

Stations

The stations of this Corridors are:

Line 1 (North-South Corridor)
#	Station Name	Location	Layout	Interchanges
1	Kavi Subhash	New Garia	At Grade	Line 6 (New Garia-Airport) (Under Construction) and Eastern Suburban Railways
2	Shahid Khudiram	Garia	Elevated
3	Kavi Nazrul	Garia	Elevated
4	Gitanjali	Naktala	Elevated
5	Masterda Surya Sen	Bansdroni	Elevated
6	Netaji	Kudghat	Elevated
7	Mahanayak Uttam Kumar	Tollygunge	At Grade
8	Rabindra Sarobar	Tollygunge	Underground	Eastern Suburban Railways
9	Kalighat	Kalighat	Underground
10	Jatin Das Park	Kalighat	Underground
11	Netaji Bhavan	Bhowanipore	Underground
12	Rabindra Sadan	Bhowanipore	Underground
13	Maidan		Underground
14	Park Street	Park Street (Now Mother Teresa Sarani)	Underground	Line 3 (Joka-BBD Bag) (Under Construction)
15	Esplanade	Dharmatala	Underground
16	Chandni Chowk		Underground
17	Central	Bowbazar	Underground	Line 2 (Under Construction)
18	Mahatma Gandhi Road	Burrabazar	Underground
19	Girish Park	Maniktala	Underground
20	Shobhabazar Sutanuti	Shobhabazar	Underground
21	Shyambazaar	Shyambazar	Underground
22	Belgachhia	Belgachia	Underground
23	Dum Dum	Dum Dum	Elevated	With Eastern Suburban Railways
24	Noapara	Noapara	Elevated	Line 4 (Noapara-Barast) (Opened recently on 10 July 2013)
25	Baranagar (Under-Construction)	Baranagar	Elevated	Line 5 (Baranagar-Barrackpore)
26	Dakshineswar (Under-Construction)	Dakshineswar	Elevated	Terminal

Alignment & interchanges

Dum Dum, Park Street, Mahanayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge), Netaji (Kundghat), Masterda Surya Sen (Bansdroni), Geetanjali (Naktala), Kavi Nazrul (Garia Bazar), Shahid Khudiram (Briji) and Kavi Subhash (New Garia) have side platforms; all other stations have island platforms. Central, is an exception as it has both platforms on the sides as well as in the centre. Dum Dum, Kavi Subhash (New Garia), Rabindra Sarobar & Shobhabazar Sutanuti have connections to interchange with standard railway while Belgachhia, Shyambazar, Esplanade & Kalighat have connections to the tram network. Tram lines also serve Shobhabazar Sutanuti, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Central, Jatin Das Park, Rabindra Sarobar & Mahanayak Uttam Kumar (Tollygunge) stations. Previously Park street & Maidan stations were also served by tram. The EM Bypass can be accessed from the Shahid Khudiram (Briji) metro station.

Extension up to Kavi Subhash Metro Station (New Garia)

Extension up to Kavi Subhash Metro Station (New Garia)[edit] Mamata Banerjee during her first tenure as the railway minister initiated the project of Tollygunj – Garia metro extension. During her second tenure (2009–2011) she inaugurated the extension, and also introduced new state-of-the-art Air Conditioned rakes, manufactured indigenously at the Integral Coach Factory, at Perambur near Chennai.

The new extension to Garia Bazar in the south opened to public on 23 August 2009. The Garia Bazar station was named after Kavi Nazrul. A final extension from Kavi Nazrul (Garia Bazar) to Kavi Subhash (New Garia) was inaugurated on 7 October 2010, bringing the total number of stations to 23. On the same day two Air-Conditioned rakes were also pressed into service.

Future extension

The plan to extend Line 1 in the north from Dumdum to Dakshineswar (5.2 km) is under execution. The construction of this stretch started in February 2010. It will be met by the metro line from Barrackpore at Baranagar (12.5 km).^[2]

The stations on this stretch will be:

1. Dumdum
2. Ma Sarada Devi (Noapara)
3. Swami Vivekananda (Baranagar)
4. Dakshineswar

Features

Technical features

A metro car is getting ready for journey towards Kavi Subhash (New Garia) at Dum Dum

Metro construction is of a very complex nature requiring application of several new technologies in the fields of civil, electrical, signaling and telecommunication engineering. Indian engineers backed by their own experience and supplemented by their studies abroad, adopted advanced technologies in the following fields for the first time in India.

• Cut and cover method of construction using diaphragm walls and sheet piles.
• Use of extensive decking to keep the traffic flowing over the cut while construction is in progress underneath.
• Shield tunneling using compressed air and airlocks.
• Ballast less track using elastic fastenings, rubber pads, epoxy mortar and nylon inserts.
• Air-conditioning and ventilation system for environmental control of stations and tunnels.
• Third Rail current collection system for traction.
• Underground substations with dry type transformers and SF₆ circuit breakers.
• Tunnel-Train VHF-radio communication system.
• Micro-processor-based train control and supervisory remote control system for substations.
• Automatic ticket vending and checking system.

Salient features

Total route length	27.39 km (17.02 mi)
Stations	24 (15 underground, 2 on surface and 7 elevated)
Gauge	1676 mm (5 ft 6 in), Indian Broad Gauge
Cars per train	8
Train length	162.4 m (8-car)
Maximum permissible speed	55 km/h (34 mph)
Average speed	30–31 km/h (19 mph)
Voltage	750 V D.C.
Method of current collection	Third Rail
Travel Time: Noapara to Kavi Subhash	54 minutes (approx.)
Capacity (per car)	326 passengers (278 standing, 48 sitting)
Capacity (per train)	2600 passengers (approx.)
Headways	5 minutes during peak hours & 7 minutes at other times
Total estimated cost of the project	₹18.25 billion (US$271.2 million) (approx.)
Environment control	Forced ventilation with washed and cooled air in case of non AC rakes and air conditioning in case of AC rakes

Rolling stock

The whole fleet is vestibuled. Carbodies and mechanical components were made by ICF Chennai with electrical components made by NGEF, Bangalore. The fleet is unique in that it is the only railroad equipment in India with end-mounted cab doors (except for some of the WAG-6 series locomotives).

ICF has specifically designed, manufactured and supplied these cars for the Kolkata Metro Underground Railway System. The special features incorporated are:

• Traction power supply through third rail current collection system.
• Automatic door opening / closing and continuous monitoring of the transit.
• Automatic Train Stop (ATS) system which will automatically apply the brakes in case of human failure.
• Automatic train operation (ATO) with the driver acting as the train supervisor (optional).
• A public address system is provided on the trains to announce approaching stations. A central dispatcher can contact any of the train crew and also make important announcements directly to passengers over the system.

With all these features, the design and manufacturing process of these cars to a very high standard of reliability and safety has been a challenge. This was achieved without any technical collaboration. The entire fleet is capable of carrying 2356 passengers.

From October 2010, the process of phasing out of the current class of rolling stock was started and replaced by new air-conditioned cars 13 of which have been already pressed into service. Out of a total of 18 trainsets (non AC) owned by the Kolkata Metro, 11 are supposed to be retired within a few years and the remaining seven will be rebuilt with new features including air conditioning, which is badly needed.

The 13 state of the art AC rakes have the following features :-

• Microprocessor controlled temperature and humidity control inside the trains.
• Fully automatic and digital operation of the train including emergency braking in the event of human failure or an emergency.
• LCD displays inside the motormen's cabins.
• Low external and internal noise level.
• Maximum speed of 80 km/h and Avge speed is 55 km/h.
• Multilingual Electronic LED sign boards both inside and outside the train.
• Public address system.
• Multi Reflector Head lamps.
• LED based tail lamps.
• Third rail system of current collection.
• Continuous monitoring of the transit.

The new air-conditioned rolling stock was manufactured by ICF in collaboration with BHEL and Knorr Bremse, Germany.

Reservation for women

In 2008, the Kolkata Metro Railway experimented with the practice of reserving two entire compartments for women.^[3]

This system was found to be ineffective and caused inconvenience for a lot of commuters (including women) and the plan was eventually dropped by the metro authority. But a certain section of seats in each of the eight compartments is reserved for women.

Fare structure

The Metro fare is distance-based. Fare structure on Metro Railway was last revised with effect from 01.10.2013 after a gap of three years. The present fare structure is as below:

ZONE	DISTANCE (km)	FARE (₹)
I	up to 5	5.00
II	5–10	10.00
III	10–15	15.00
IV	15–20	15.00
V	20-25	20.00
VI	Above 25	25.00

Tokens

The previous ticketing system of magnetic tickets has been scrapped and tokens are being used in its placed since July 2011. The system requires touch-free gates that function through radio-frequency identification rather than the old magnetic-strip reader. The Centre for Railway Information Systems, which has implemented the Rs 415 million project, gave the contract to a Spanish firm last year after a global bidding process.

Features of token system

1. Tokens is being reused, hence saving paper which also reduces chance of damage done to the paper pasted tickets.
2. The number of passenger can enter within 30 secs. This will ensure smooth passage of commuters.
3. This will also help to improve security in the sense that earlier many people used to travel without tickets.

Smart cards

Smart cards were also introduced a month later after the introduction of token system. The advantages of using Smart cards is the flexibility which allows daily passengers to travel into any zone without worrying of taking the token of exact zone. Another advantage it offers over regular tokens is the reduced effective cost of travel. A fully refundable security deposit of Rs 100 has to be made to obtain these smart cards. Presently the deposit is Rs 60.

Problems with Line 1

The coaches were manufactured by ICF with no air-conditioning^[4] Indian Railways signalling was adopted instead of European signalling.^[4]

The founder of Delhi Metro, E. Sreedharan said Indian Railways are not experts at urban transport, and mis-planned the Kolkata metro from the beginning.^[4] A private company should run the metro and can bring it up to standard in five years.^[4]

All new lines of the Kolkata Metro, starting with Line 2, will be operated by Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (KMRC).

See also

• Kolkata Metro
• List of Kolkata metro stations
• Kolkata Metro Rolling Stock
• List of rapid transit systems
• Kolkata tram
• Kolkata Lightrail
• Kolkata Monorail
• Kolkata Suburban Railway

References

1. "Kolkata Metro is now the 17th zone of Indian Railways". The Times of India. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
2. Express News Service (3 January 2010). "Mamata lays foundation for Dum Dum-Dakshineswar Metro". Express India. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
3. Metro reserves compartments for females
4. "DMRC MD E Sreedharan says many Indian cities need metro rail urgently - Business Today". Businesstoday.intoday.in. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.

External links

• Official Website for line 1