Netaji Metro Station is a station of the
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. , it has two operational lines, a line from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash and a line from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, for a total of . Four o ...
. This station is situated opposite to the
Kudghat
Kudghat is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Location
Kudghat is located on either banks of the Adi Ganga, the main flow of the Hooghly River from the 15th to 17th century connecting Kolkata to the Bidyadhar ...
bus stand at
Kudghat
Kudghat is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Location
Kudghat is located on either banks of the Adi Ganga, the main flow of the Hooghly River from the 15th to 17th century connecting Kolkata to the Bidyadhar ...
, in
Tollygunge
Tollygunge (Bengali: টালিগঞ্জ; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is famed as the centre of the Indian film industry, known as Tollywood, Marathi Cinema, South Indi ...
.
History
Early attempts
In the September 1919 session of the Imperial Legislative Council at
Shimla
Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...
, a committee was set up by
W. E. Crum that recommended a metro line for
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
(formerly
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
).
This line was supposed to connect Bagmari in the east to Benaras Road,
Salkia
Salkia is a neighbourhood of Howrah city in Howrah district, West Bengal, India and is administered by the Howrah Municipal Corporation.
Salkia is under the jurisdiction of Golabari Police Station and Malipanchghara Police Station of Howrah Ci ...
, in Howrah in the west via a tunnel beneath
Hooghly River
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, Indi ...
. The estimated construction costs were £3,526,154, about based on current exchange rates, and the proposed deadline was 1925–1926. The proposed line was long, about shorter than the current
East-West Corridor
East West (or East and West) may refer to:
*East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture
Arts and entertainment
Books, journals and magazines
*'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
, which would connect
East Bengal Railway
The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in Bengal and Assam provinces of British India.
History
Formation
The Eastern ...
in Bagmari and
East Indian Railway
The East Indian Railway Company, operating as the East Indian Railway (reporting mark EIR), introduced railways to East India and North India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, South Indian Railway, Bombay, Barod ...
in Benaras Road. The tickets were priced at 3 annas (Rs. 0.1875) for the full trip. Crum also mentioned a north–south corridor back then. An east–west metro railway connection, named the "East–West Tube Railway", was proposed for Kolkata in 1921 by
Harley Dalrymple-Hay
Sir Harley Hugh Dalrymple-Hay was an engineer working on underground railways in and around London, England. He was awarded the Telford Medal in gold by the Institution of Civil Engineers for his paper on the Waterloo and City Railway.
Life an ...
. All the reports can be found in his 1921 book ''Calcutta Tube Railways.'' However, in 1923, the proposal was not undertaken due to a lack of funds.
Planning
The then
Chief Minister of West Bengal
The Chief Minister of West Bengal is the representative of the Government of India in the state of West Bengal and the head of the executive branch of the Government of West Bengal. The chief minister is head of the Council of Ministers and ap ...
,
Bidhan Chandra Roy
Bidhan Chandra Roy (1 July 1882 – 1 July 1962) was an Indian physician, educationist, and statesman who served as Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1948 until his death in 1962. Roy played a key role in the founding of several institutio ...
, reconceived the idea of an underground railway for Kolkata in the early 1949–1950. A survey was done by a team of
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
experts, but nothing concrete came of this. Efforts to solve problem traffic by augmenting the existing fleet of public transport vehicles hardly helped, since roads accounted for only 4.2 percent of the surface area in Kolkata, compared with 25 percent in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
and 30 percent in other cities. To find alternative solutions, the Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP) was set up in 1969. The MTP, with the help of
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
specialists, Lenmetroproekt and
East German
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
engineers, prepared a master plan to provide five rapid-transit (metro) lines for the city of Kolkata, totaling a length of , in 1971.
However, only three were selected for construction. These were:
#
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality of Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata urban area and also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Etymology
During the 19th ...
–
Tollygunge
Tollygunge (Bengali: টালিগঞ্জ; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is famed as the centre of the Indian film industry, known as Tollywood, Marathi Cinema, South Indi ...
(Line 1. Presently operates from
Dakshineswar
Dakshineswar is a locality in the North 24 Parganas under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and is very close to Kolkata. This place is historically famous for Dakshineswar Kali Temple, locally known as Maa Bhabata ...
to
New Garia
New Garia is a neighbourhood located in the eastern part of Garia, Kolkata, India. It is bounded by Chak Garia and Panchasayar to the north, Baishnabghata-Patuli and Briji to the west, Garia railway station and Kamalgazi to the south and Nayabad ...
)
#
Bidhannagar
Bidhannagar is a planned urban agglomeration and city and a municipal corporation of the North 24 Parganas in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is in Greater Kolkata region and also a part of the area covered by the Kolkata Metropolitan Dev ...
–
Ramrajatala
Ramrajatala is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). The name of the area comes from the presence of a temple ...
(Line 2. Presently truncated till
Howrah Maidan)
#
Dakshineswar
Dakshineswar is a locality in the North 24 Parganas under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and is very close to Kolkata. This place is historically famous for Dakshineswar Kali Temple, locally known as Maa Bhabata ...
–
Thakurpukur
Thakurpukur is a region of South West Kolkata in Behala area of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is majorly a residential region. It has been rapidly developed in the last 20 years and what was a jungle before is now an urban agglomeration in ...
(Divided into Line 1;
Noapara to Dakshineswar and Line 3;
Joka to
Esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
)
The highest priority was given to the busy north–south corridor between Dum Dum and Tollygunge over a length of ; work on this project was approved on 1 June 1972. A tentative deadline was fixed to complete all the corridors by 1991.
Construction
![Calcutta-line1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Calcutta-line1.jpg)
Since it was India's first metro
and was constructed as a completely indigenous process, a traditional
cut-and-cover
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube constr ...
method and driven
shield tunneling was chosen and the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair, in contrast to the
Delhi Metro
The Delhi Metro is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh, in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of 10 colour-cod ...
, which saw the involvement of multiple international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct the underground railway.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
, the
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
, on 29 December 1972, and construction work started in 1973–74. Initially,
cut and cover
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A Pipeline transport, pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used ...
along with
slurry wall
A slurry wall is a civil engineering technique used to build reinforced concrete walls in areas of soft earth close to open water, or with a high groundwater table.
This technique is typically used to build diaphragm (water-blocking) walls surro ...
construction to handle soft ground, was recommended by the Soviet Union Consultants. Later, in 1977, it was decided to adopt both shield tunneling and cut and cover methods for construction under populated areas, sewer lines, water mains, electrical cables, telephone cables, tram lines, canals etc. The technology was provided by M/s NIKEX Hungarian Co., Budapest.
In the early days, the project was led by the
Union Railway Minister from West Bengal,
A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury
Abu Barkat Ataur Ghani Khan Choudhury (1 November 1927 – 14 April 2006), known as Barkatda to his supporters, was an Indian politician from West Bengal, India. Choudhury was a senior leader of Indian National Congress party. His home is in En ...
, often against the prevailing socio-political stance of his contemporaries in the West Bengal government. From the start of construction, the project had to contend with several problems including insufficient funds (until 1977–1978), a shifting of underground utilities, court injunctions, and an irregular supply of vital materials.
In 1977, an injunction for the allocation of new funding was passed by the newly elected
Jyoti Basu government.
Despite all the hurdles, services began on 24 October 1984, with the commissioning of a partial commercial service covering a distance of with five stations served between Esplanade and
Bhowanipur (currently
Netaji Bhavan).
The first metro was driven by Tapan Kumar Nath and Sanjoy Kumar Sil. The service was quickly followed by commuter services on another stretch in the north between
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality of Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata urban area and also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Etymology
During the 19th ...
and
Belgachhia
Belgachia is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
The East India Company obtained from the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar, in 1717, the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their ...
on 12 November 1984. The commuter service was extended to
Tollygunge
Tollygunge (Bengali: টালিগঞ্জ; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is famed as the centre of the Indian film industry, known as Tollywood, Marathi Cinema, South Indi ...
on 29 April 1986, covering a further distance of , making the service available over a distance of and covering 11 stations. However, the services on the north section were suspended starting 26 October 1992, as this small, isolated section was little used.
The
Line 1 Line 1 or 1 line may refer to:
Public transport Africa
* Line 1 (Algiers Metro), Algeria
* Cairo Metro Line 1, Egypt
Asia China
* Line 1 (Beijing Subway)
* Line 1 (Changchun Rail Transit)
* Line 1 (Changsha Metro)
* Line 1 (Changzhou Metro)
* L ...
was almost entirely built by cut and cover method, while a small 1.09 km stretch between Belgachia and Shyambazar was built using shield tunneling with compressed air and air locks, since the alignment crossed a railway yard (now
Kolkata railway station
Kolkata railway station (formerly known as Chitpur station) is the newest of the five intercity railway stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah station in Kolkata and Howrah station, Shalimar station and in Howrah. ...
) and
Circular Canal.
![Kolkata_Metro_evolution](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Kolkata_Metro_evolution.gif)
After more than eight years, the
Belgachhia
Belgachia is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
The East India Company obtained from the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar, in 1717, the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their ...
–
Shyambazaar section, along with the Dum Dum–Belgachhia stretch, was opened on 13 August 1994. Another stretch from
Esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
to
Chandni Chowk
The Chandni Chowk, also known as Moonlight Square is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was bu ...
was commissioned shortly afterwards, on 2 October 1994. The
Shyambazaar-
Shobhabazar
Shobhabazar (also spelt Sovabazar; bn, শোভাবাজার) is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
Sheths and Basaks, well-to-do traders at Saptagram, were among the first ...
–
Girish Park
Girish Park is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. it is named after famous Bengali Theatre personnel Girish Chandra Ghosh.
Geography
Police district
Girish P ...
() and
Chandni Chowk
The Chandni Chowk, also known as Moonlight Square is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was bu ...
–
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
() sections were opened on 19 February 1995. Services on the entire stretch of the Metro were introduced from 27 September 1995 by bridging the gap with
Mahatma Gandhi Road metro station in the middle.
In 1999–2000, the extension of
Line 1 Line 1 or 1 line may refer to:
Public transport Africa
* Line 1 (Algiers Metro), Algeria
* Cairo Metro Line 1, Egypt
Asia China
* Line 1 (Beijing Subway)
* Line 1 (Changchun Rail Transit)
* Line 1 (Changsha Metro)
* Line 1 (Changzhou Metro)
* L ...
along an elevated corridor from Tollygunge to New Garia, with six stations, was sanctioned at a cost of .
The section was constructed and opened in two phases,
Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to
Kavi Nazrul in 2009 and Kavi Nazrul to
Kavi Subhash in 2010. The latest extension opened was the stretch from Dum Dum to
Noapara on 10 July 2013.
In February 2021 this stretch was further expanded till Dakshineswar from Noapara (4.1 km) and was inaugurated on 22 February and opened for commercial use from 23 February for general public.
The station
Structure
Netaji elevated metro station is situated on the
Kolkata Metro Line 1
The Line 1, Blue Line, also known as North–South Metro of the Kolkata Metro, is a rapid transit system serving South 24 Parganas, Kolkata and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. It consists of 26 operational stations from Dakshi ...
of
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. , it has two operational lines, a line from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash and a line from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, for a total of . Four o ...
.
Station layout
Connections
Bus
Kudghat Bus stand is serving near Netaji metro station. Bus route number 218, S17A, S2, V1, AC47, AC17B,
SBSTC kudghat
Kudghat is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Location
Kudghat is located on either banks of the Adi Ganga, the main flow of the Hooghly River from the 15th to 17th century connecting Kolkata to the Bidyadhar ...
to
tarapith
Tarapith is a 13-century Hindu temple in Chandipur village Rampurhat II CD block in Rampurhat subdivision of Birbhum district of the Indian state of West Bengal, known for its Tantric temple and its adjoining cremation (Maha Shmashan) grounds ...
, SBSTC
kudghat
Kudghat is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Location
Kudghat is located on either banks of the Adi Ganga, the main flow of the Hooghly River from the 15th to 17th century connecting Kolkata to the Bidyadhar ...
to
Jhargram
Jhargram is a city and a municipality in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jhargram district. It is a popular tourist destination known for its forests, ancient temples and royal pala ...
,
SBSTC kudghat
Kudghat is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Location
Kudghat is located on either banks of the Adi Ganga, the main flow of the Hooghly River from the 15th to 17th century connecting Kolkata to the Bidyadhar ...
to
Digha
Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal.
Hi ...
, etc. are serving near the station
See also
*
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
*
List of Kolkata Metro stations
The Kolkata Metro is a Mass Rapid Transit Urban Railway network in Kolkata, India. 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 ...
*
Transport in Kolkata
The transport system of Kolkata, a city in India, is a mix of modern mass rapid transport and old transport modalities like rickshaws. Kolkata is connected to the rest of India by the National Highways, the extensive network of the Indian Rail ...
*
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) is a Government of India enterprise formed in 2008. The agency was formed to oversee the implementing Kolkata Metro Line 2, also known as East West Metro, connecting the twin cities Kolkata and Howrah. T ...
*
Kolkata Suburban Railway
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is a suburban rail system serving the Kolkata metropolitan area and its surroundings in India. It is the largest suburban railway network in the country with the highest number of stations. It is also the 7th larg ...
*
Kolkata Monorail
Kolkata Monorail was a rail-based transit project planned for the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. This was the first proposed monorail in the country.
History
2004 & 2008
The initial plan regarding the monorail was floated in 2004. In ...
*
Trams in Kolkata
The tram system in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, operated by West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) after Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) was dissolved, is the oldest existing tram network operating in India, and oldest operating ...
*
Garia
Garia (Bengali:গড়িয়া) is a neighborhood in southern Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Jadavpur in the north, Bansdroni/Tollygunge in the north-west, Santoshpur/ Mukundapur in the north-east an ...
*
Tollygunge
Tollygunge (Bengali: টালিগঞ্জ; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is famed as the centre of the Indian film industry, known as Tollywood, Marathi Cinema, South Indi ...
*
E.M. Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass (known simply as both ''E.M. Bypass'' and ''EM Bypass'') is a (Including Kamalgazi to Baruipur extension) major road on the east side of Kolkata. It connects Ultadanga (North Kolkata) to Baruipur Puratan Bazar ...
*
List of rapid transit systems
These lists of rapid transit systems are sorted by the type of system:
* List of tram and light rail transit systems
* List of town tramway systems
* Medium-capacity rail transport system
* List of premetro systems
* List of metro systems
* List of ...
*
List of metro systems
This list of metro systems includes electrified rapid transit train systems worldwide. In some parts of the world, metro systems are referred to as subways, U-Bahn or undergrounds. , 205 cities in 61 countries have a metro system.
The London ...
References
External links
*
Official Website for line 1''UrbanRail.Net''– descriptions of all metro systems in the world, each with a schematic map showing all stations.
*
{{Kolkata Metro
Kolkata Metro stations
Railway stations opened in 2009
Railway stations in Kolkata
Subhas Chandra Bose
Memorials to Subhas Chandra Bose