Kolkata Metro Line 2![]() Esplanade – Howrah Maidan | |||
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![]() A BEML rake in a platform | |||
Overview | |||
Status | Operational | ||
Owner | Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation | ||
Locale | Kolkata Metropolitan Area, India | ||
Termini | |||
Connecting lines | Blue Line Purple Line Orange Line | ||
Stations | 12 (operational) 5 (proposed) | ||
Website | KMRC | ||
Service | |||
Type | Rapid transit | ||
System | Kolkata Metro | ||
Operator(s) | Metro Railway, Kolkata[2] | ||
Depot(s) | Central Park depot | ||
Rolling stock | Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) | ||
Daily ridership | 100,000[3][4] (1 million by 2035, when fully operational)[5] | ||
History | |||
Opened | 13 February 2020Salt Lake Stadium)[6] | (Salt Lake Sector V–||
Last extension | 6 March 2024[7] | (Esplanade–Howrah Maidan)||
Technical | |||
Line length | 32.11 km (19.95 mi) 15.7 km (9.8 mi) (proposed) (Underground: 11.04 km (6.86 mi) Elevated: 21 km (13 mi)) | ||
Number of tracks | 2 | ||
Character |
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Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
Electrification | 750 V DC third rail[8] | ||
Operating speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) | ||
Signalling | Communications-based train control (CBTC) | ||
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Kolkata Metro Line 2, also known as the East-West Metro and Green Line, is a rapid transit line of the Kolkata Metro in the Indian state of West Bengal. It currently consists of two distinctly operational sections between Salt Lake and Sealdah, and Esplanade and Howrah Maidan by going underneath the Hooghly River, with an eastern extension planned for Teghoria.[1][7] It will cover a distance of 32.11 km (19.95 mi) and consist of 17 stations from Teghoria (Haldiram) in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west, of which it will consist of 11 elevated and 6 underground stations, and the operational section consists of 6 elevated and 6 underground stations, with a total distance of 22 km (14 mi). It is expected to derive a very high ridership, since it will connect India's two largest commuter railway and long-distance railway terminals, Howrah and Sealdah, along with two of its largest business districts, BBD Bagh and Salt Lake Sector V. At present, more than 100,000 passengers commute through the line every day, and this figure is expected to go up to 1 million after it gets fully completed by 2035.[5] It will also connect the industrial hub of Kolkata, i.e., Howrah and the IT hub of Kolkata, i.e., Salt Lake Sector-V.[9] It connects Line 1 at Esplanade and will eventually connect Lines 3 and 6.
The Line 2 has India's first and biggest underwater metro tunnel, along with the deepest metro ventilation shaft.[10][11] In the deepest metro shaft, the Howrah metro station is be the deepest metro station in India, at a depth of 33 m (108 ft).[12] The first phase between Salt Lake Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated by the then Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal, on 13 February 2020, and commercial services started from 14 February 2020.[6][13] The underground stretch till Phoolbagan was opened on 4 October 2020 by the current Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and then till Sealdah was opened on 12 July 2022.[14][15] The section between Esplanade and Howrah Maidan was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 March 2024,[16] leaving the gap between Esplanade and Sealdah as the only remaining unopened section.