Kolkata Metro’s Orange Line has reached a key construction milestone, with a push trolley inspection conducted for the first time on the Beleghata–IT Centre section, bringing the route closer to the start of electrical works and eventual passenger operations.
The inspection was carried out after the viaduct and ballastless track installation on the section was completed, according to a report citing Metro authorities. The push trolley was used to examine the newly laid track before electrical and related systems work begins.
The Beleghata–IT Centre section forms the third phase of the Kavi Subhash–Jai Hind Airport Metro project. Once the remaining works are completed and passenger safety systems are examined, Metro services are expected to extend towards the IT Centre in Sector V.
The project is being implemented in five phases. The first two sections — from Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and from Hemanta Mukhopadhyay to Beleghata — are already operational with passenger services. The third section, between Beleghata and the IT Centre, is now reported to be nearing completion.
The latest inspection follows the completion of a long-delayed stretch at Chingrighata, where 366 metres of rail track and the associated girder installation work have been completed, according to the report. The Chingrighata section had remained one of the construction hurdles affecting progress on the wider corridor.
The 32-kilometre Orange Line project was approved in 2010 and has faced delays and complications at different stages of implementation. Its alignment is intended to connect southern Kolkata with the airport through important residential, commercial and employment areas, including the IT district in Sector V.
For commuters, the extension to the IT Centre would create a direct Metro connection for a major employment zone that currently depends heavily on road-based transport. The report, however, does not provide a confirmed date for the start of passenger services on the Beleghata–IT Centre section. Track inspection, electrical installation, safety checks and other operational approvals remain part of the process before trains can carry passengers.
Metro sources have indicated that work on the section up to the IT Centre is targeted for completion within this year. The next milestones are the commencement of electrical works, completion of operational systems and the safety review required before the extension can be opened to the public.
