Kolkata, June 6
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday announced plans to introduce 60 next-generation trains for the Kolkata Metro over the next five years, as part of efforts to modernise the city’s rapid transit network. Speaking after a meeting with West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari at the state secretariat, Nabanna, Vaishnaw said the Metro system would undergo a major revamp. He said only 28km of the Kolkata Metro network had been completed during its first 42 years of operation, while 45km of new lines had been added since 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office.
“In the next five years, 60 next-generation trains will be introduced for Kolkata Metro. Today, I travelled on the Metro. We will revamp it,” the minister said. Vaishnaw also expressed hope that railway infrastructure projects in West Bengal would gain momentum under what he described as a “double-engine government”, a term used by the BJP for states governed by the party and the federal government.
The minister highlighted plans for proposed high-speed rail corridors linking Delhi to Varanasi and Varanasi to Siliguri. He said the projects were intended to significantly cut travel times across northern and eastern India.
According to Vaishnaw, the proposed bullet train network would enable passengers to travel between Siliguri and New Delhi in around six hours. The announcement comes as the government pushes ahead with railway modernisation and expansion projects across the country.
