Kolkata Metro Delay: It was a promise of transformation—a seamless, time-saving connection from Sealdah to Salt Lake via the much-anticipated 2.6-kilometre stretch of the East-West (E-W) Metro corridor. But months have passed, and for the thousands of commuters who endure the city’s congested roads daily, the delay has become yet another broken assurance in Kolkata’s long saga of infrastructure bottlenecks.
The missing link, connecting Sealdah station to Esplanade through the East-West Metro, was supposed to be operational by April 2025. However, as of August, there remains no official date for its commissioning, leaving riders seething and city planners scrambling for explanations.
Three-Month Delay and Growing Agitation
Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (KMRCL), the executing agency of the E-W Metro, initially set a deadline of April 2025 to make the crucial Sealdah-Esplanade link operational. While trial runs were conducted in early May and a few rounds of inspection completed, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has yet to grant clearance.
For daily commuters, especially office-goers, this delay means added travel time, increased costs, and sheer exhaustion. “We were told this new stretch would reduce our travel by at least 20 minutes. Now it’s just empty talk,” said Anindita Saha, an IT professional who commutes from Phoolbagan to Dalhousie every weekday.
With rising passenger pressure at Sealdah—the current terminal point of the E-W Metro—there are growing concerns about safety and crowd management. The Sealdah station is often overwhelmed during peak hours, creating scenes of overcrowding that could have been avoided with a functional Esplanade connection.
CRS Approval: The Final Frontier
According to officials within KMRCL, the project is ready on the ground. Tracks are laid, signaling systems tested, stations constructed, and trial runs completed. But it all hinges on one last hurdle—the green signal from CRS.
“Despite completing the trials and addressing minor technical issues, the clearance has been delayed. The paperwork and compliance audits required are more exhaustive than before, given the underground tunneling near heritage structures,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity.
The Esplanade station lies in proximity to several heritage buildings, including the General Post Office and the Reserve Bank of India, making the process even more complicated due to structural safety assessments.
Mounting Pressure on the Metro System
With the delay in completing the full E-W corridor from Sector V to Howrah Maidan, Kolkata Metro is now juggling with skewed passenger flow. The Salt Lake stretch, though fully operational, does not reach the central business district, reducing its utility for a large chunk of daily commuters.
“We have people getting off at Sealdah and then crowding buses or booking app cabs to reach Esplanade or Central. It’s defeating the purpose of an integrated metro system,” said Dr. Tirthankar Das, a transport economist and urban mobility expert.
The current Sealdah station, although newly constructed, lacks the infrastructure to handle peak load pressures independently. Authorities have admitted to deploying additional staff to manage crowd movement but concede that it is a temporary fix.
Kolkata Metro Delay: Business and Local Impact
The business community, particularly in Dalhousie, BBD Bagh, and Esplanade, is feeling the impact too. “We had expected footfall to rise with better metro connectivity, but the delay is pushing people away,” said Abhishek Poddar, who runs a chain of stores near Esplanade.
Ride-hailing companies and app-based taxis have seen a spike in bookings due to the metro gap, but this has only increased road congestion during office hours, further reducing the ease of movement.
Many commuters have taken to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to voice their frustrations, tagging KMRCL and the Ministry of Railways in hopes of expediting the process. Several hashtags such as #FixKolkataMetro and #OpenEsplanadeLink have been trending in the city’s online forums.
Political Ripples and Accountability
The delay has also become a flashpoint in the ongoing tussle between the state and the Centre over urban infrastructure. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders have accused the Union Government of “neglecting Bengal’s infrastructure priorities,” while BJP representatives claim the state’s urban clearances and coordination issues are to blame.
Political analysts suggest that the delay, though technical in nature, has given ammunition to both parties in the run-up to the upcoming municipal elections.
Future Plans and Public Expectations
Transport experts say that once the Sealdah-Esplanade link opens, it will not only ease congestion but also improve economic activity by facilitating smoother movement across the city’s economic spine.
“This 2.6-km stretch is not just a short metro line; it’s a vital artery for Kolkata’s future urban development,” says urban planner Ruma Chakraborty. “Delay in operationalizing it disrupts the vision of a smart, integrated transport network.”
KMRCL has stated that all necessary documents for CRS clearance have been submitted and that they are in constant communication with the Railway Board for follow-up. Meanwhile, they have begun fine-tuning systems and retraining staff in anticipation of the final nod.
A City Waiting to Move Forward
For now, Kolkata waits. From overburdened platforms to packed buses, from frustrated office-goers to underperforming businesses—the delay of this small stretch is having a city-wide ripple effect.
As the sun sets over another busy weekday in Kolkata, the metro tunnels under Esplanade lie silent—ready, but not running. A whole city is waiting to move forward, held back by bureaucratic inertia and institutional delays.
Whether the next update will bring a date of relief or more red tape remains uncertain. But for those who spend hours on the road each day, the hope remains: that the rails under the city will soon hum with the rhythm of progress again.
External References:
- Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Ltd
- Ministry of Railways, Government of India
- West Bengal Transport Department
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