Trial runs on Kolkata’s Orange Line between Chingrighata and Sector V are scheduled to begin on October 10, with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) targeting commercial passenger services on the extension from Christmas, according to an RVNL official quoted by the Times of India.
The trial will cover the Beleghata, also known as Metropolitan, to IT Centre section of the New Garia–Airport Metro corridor. The extension is expected to add three stations to the operational network: Gour Kishore Ghosh, Nalban and Sector V.
The planned start follows the completion of a 366-metre gap in the elevated corridor between Chingrighata crossing and Sukantanagar. RVNL bridged the missing section by launching girders, erecting viaducts and laying tracks. A push-trolley inspection of the Beleghata–IT Centre section was completed on September 17.
The construction agency had sought traffic blocks at Chingrighata crossing on successive weekends in May and at Sukantanagar in June to carry out the work required to close the gap. The remaining preparations will include software alignment, system synchronisation and other safety and operational checks during the trial period.
“The trial run of trains is likely to start from Oct 10, which is the day of Mahalaya. It will continue for the next one month or more as a lot of software alignment, syncing and other necessary checks will be executed,” the RVNL official told the Times of India. Mahalaya is also the day on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Kolkata for a Durga Puja event at Eden Gardens.
The Orange Line currently operates on a stretch of more than 9 km between Kavi Subhas and Beleghata. If the planned extension receives the necessary clearances, the operational corridor will expand to more than 14 km, reaching Sector V, one of Kolkata’s major employment centres.
RVNL said it is targeting Christmas for the start of full passenger operations, subject to successful trials and subsequent approvals. The timing is intended to serve the large number of visitors travelling to Nicco Park on Christmas Day and during the week between Christmas and New Year.
The extension is also expected to provide an alternative for employees travelling to Sector V and New Town. A resident who commutes between Anwar Shah Road and an office in Sector V told the Times of India that the journey takes about 45 minutes in the morning and twice as long in the evening by road. The planned metro link could offer another option for commuters currently dependent on private vehicles.
The full Orange Line corridor between Kavi Subhas and the airport is planned to span more than 32 km. Under the current schedule cited by RVNL, the next phase between Sector V and City Centre II is targeted for June 2027, while the final extension to the airport is planned for the end of 2027. Both timelines remain subject to construction progress, testing and statutory clearances.
