Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took a ride in a metro from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata on Saturday. After getting off at the Noapara station, the minister took an auto to the Belghoria Expressway, in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to use public transport to conserve fuel.
A senior official said the minister travelled on the Kolkata Metro from Jai Hind Station to Noapara Station and interacted with fellow passengers to understand their travel experience and gather feedback on metro services. The minister announced that around 60 new-generation rakes will be inducted into the Kolkata Metro network over the next four to five years.
He said the new trains will modernise metro services and further strengthen urban mobility in the city. Vaishnaw also interacted with metro staff at the stations. He spoke with sanitation staff and appreciated their efforts to maintain cleanliness. Staff members expressed happiness that their concerns and suggestions were reaching the railway minister directly.
He further appreciated the roles of those involved in construction and operations for extending the city’s metro network over the last several years. The minister assured all assistance to extend the network further. He said the ongoing metro expansion projects will significantly improve connectivity and commuter convenience across Kolkata.
During his auto-rickshaw ride, Vaishnaw highlighted the ‘Fear Out, Trust In’ campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government that came into power in West Bengal recently. The railway minister then met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to discuss ongoing development initiatives.
The state government is keen to extend the metro link to Barrackpore in the north. Though surveys and drawings were completed, the former government in power created hurdles, citing the presence of water pipelines under the B T Road. This project will be of great convenience to thousands of commuters from the northern suburbs who travel to Kolkata daily. Metro Railway is also keen to complete the ongoing Garia-Airport link via Rajarhat.