The Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling work for the entire stretch of Kolkata Metro’s East-West Metro from Howrah Maidan to Sector V began, marking a significant step towards connecting Howrah with Sealdah, two of Eastern Railway’s busiest stations.

An official stated that the challenges posed by the Bowbazar tunnelling crisis had been successfully mitigated, resulting in the connection of Sealdah and Esplanade Metro stations. The electrical works related to the aluminium third rail were also nearing completion, and the electrical inspector had been approached for the statutory EIG inspection before it was charged.

The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRCL) had requested a complete traffic block on two Sundays (January 12 and 19), which was granted immediately, as added by the official.

The East-West Metro, also referred to as the Green Line, will save around 90 minutes for daily commuters traveling between Howrah and Sealdah, who currently rely on overcrowded and slow-moving buses or pollution-causing taxis.

KMRCL had requested a 45-day block to validate and fine-tune the newly installed software. Any issues would be sent to overseas laboratories for adjustments. After the software is fine-tuned, it will be reloaded, and the verification cycle will continue.

Before commissioning the Green Line 1’s 5-km stretch, five rakes were run for a total of 10,000 km, conducting over 1,000 trials to secure third-party certification for safe operation. The official added that KMRCL plans to conduct similar trials across the entire stretch with the revised software, ensuring a foolproof system for approval.

Once the safety and reliability of the state-of-the-art signalling system are confirmed, it may be submitted to an international Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) for certification. After receiving the ISA certificate, the Chief Railway Safety Commissioner will conduct a statutory inspection before granting permission for the commercial use of the entire corridor, the official concluded.