New Delhi: The Kolkata Metro has taken a major step forward as Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling work began on Sunday for the entire Howrah Maidan to Sector V stretch of the East-West Metro corridor. This marks a pivotal moment in connecting Howrah and Sealdah, two of Eastern Railway’s busiest stations.
The Bowbazar tunnelling crisis, which had stalled progress for five years, has finally been mitigated. “We have successfully connected Sealdah and Esplanade Metro stations. Electrical works for the aluminium third rail are nearing completion, and we have approached the electrical inspector for statutory EIG inspection,” Financial Express quoted an official as saying.
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (KMRCL) was granted a complete traffic block on January 12 and another will be granted on January 19, to facilitate the work. A request for full closure of Green Line services from February 8 to March 24 is also under consideration but has yet to be approved.
Benefits for commuters
The East-West Metro, also known as the Green Line, promises to improve commuting time. Daily travellers between Howrah and Sealdah, who currently rely on overcrowded buses or taxis, stand to save around 90 minutes.
The Green Line is the first corridor in Metro Railway Kolkata to feature CBTC signalling. The state-of-the-art system enables safe and automatic train operations, including:
Automatic train protection (ATP): Prevents collisions, speeding, and red-light violations.
Automatic train operation (ATO): Allows rakes to communicate real-time data on position, speed, acceleration, and deceleration.
A Metro Railway engineer elaborated, “In normal conditions, the train driver’s primary role is to close doors and press the start button. In emergencies, such as earthquakes, a single command from the control centre can halt all trains simultaneously, similar to systems in Japan.”
The CBTC system allows for a 90-second headway, a feature shared by metros in London and Moscow but not possible with traditional signalling systems like those on the North-South Corridor.
Unified corridor vision
Currently, services on the East-West Corridor are divided into two parts: Green Line-1 (Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah) and Green Line-2 (Esplanade to Howrah Maidan). With the resolution of the Bowbazar cave-in issue, efforts are now focused on integrating the CBTC signalling system to create a unified corridor.
“This isn’t just about filling gaps like tunnelling or third-rail work. The CBTC integration will ensure seamless connectivity across the entire route,” an official noted. KMRCL has requested a 45-day block to validate and fine-tune the newly installed software. Any adjustments will be sent to overseas laboratories, after which the system will undergo further verification.
