KOLKATA: Metro Railway plans to extend Orange Line services to the IT Centre station at Sector V by December. Currently, services on the New Garia-Airport corridor operate between New Garia and Beleghata station at the Metropolitan, with work commencing on a critical 366m gap in the viaduct at Chingrighata crossing starting Friday, according to officials.
“We are optimistic that train operations may commence between Metropolitan and Sector V by December 2026. The state is facilitating the permissions needed to complete all outstanding metro work,” stated S S Kannan, CPRO of Metro Railway, on Thursday. “The long-awaited project at Chingrighata kicks off on Friday. The first phase will require a 60-hour traffic block from Friday at 8 PM to Monday at 8 AM, authorized by the state and supported by Kolkata Police. Another 60-hour block is scheduled from May 22 to 25 for the second segment.”
The installation of two overhead concrete segments, or girders, will connect piers 317 to 319 at the busy Chingrighata crossing in two phases over the next two weekends, subsequent to Kolkata Police granting traffic diversions along EM Bypass. The initial phase will involve girders being placed between piers 317 and 318 this weekend, while the second phase will take place starting next Friday, covering piers 318 and 319.
With almost all viaduct work between Metropolitan and Sector V complete, aside from the Chingrighata stretch, bridging this gap is essential for finalizing the corridor, which is a key link between the southern suburbs and Sector V, eventually connecting to the airport.
A PIL had been filed in the high court due to delays in traffic block permissions at Chingrighata, resulting in a February 2026 deadline set for Kolkata Police. Subsequently, the previous Trinamool-led government appealed to the Supreme Court, which ordered immediate traffic block approvals to enable metro work funded by public finances.
Recently, police announced that only night traffic blocks would be implemented from 10 PM to 7 AM during the Fridays to Sundays. However, RVNL submitted an IIT-Kharagpur report indicating that 60-hour blocks across two weekends are necessary for improved structural integrity and safety for both vehicles and pedestrians.
