New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, April 15, expressed his delight  over the trial run of the Kolkata Metro under the Hooghly River.

The  first rake of the Kolkata Metro reached at the Howrah Maidan and was operated through a tunnel under the Hooghly on a trial basis.

Train travels underwater!, tweeted Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw. Trial run of a train through the Hooghly River metro rail tunnel and station, another engineering marvel. The Prime Minister tweeted in response to the post from Railway Minister Vaishnaw: "Great news for Kolkata and an encouraging trend for public transport in India."

On April 12, 2023, Kolkata Metro wrote a new chapter in history. After a protracted wait, Country's first Metro began running beneath the majestic Hooghly river on Wednesday. According to a formal release, the Metro has successfully completed its river journey for the first time in India.

Kaushik Mitra, the head public relations officer of Kolkata Metro said: "This is a historic moment for Metro Railway as after overcoming many obstacles we have succeeded in running rakes beneath the Hooghly River." "This is a ground-breaking move towards giving the residents of Kolkata and its suburbs access to a modern transportation system. This is undoubtedly a unique new year's present from Indian Railways to the Bengali people, he said.

The 4.8 km subterranean segment between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade will soon start its trial run. Howrah, at 33 metres below ground, will be the nation's deepest Metro station once it is operational.

The 520-meter section of the Hooghly River subway is anticipated to be covered by the Metro in 45 seconds. The water lies 32 metres below the water line in this tunnel under the river. With this, Kolkata Metro, the nation's first metro railway, gains another feather in its cap. The 1984-launched Kolkata Metro is currently being developed to serve the entire city and its surroundings. The Howrah and Kolkata twin cities will be connected by an underwater metro line that will cross the Hoogly River.

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