Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took to the Kolkata Metro on Saturday and announced plans to run 60 new generation trains in the next four to five years.
Speaking at the metro station, Vaishnaw said, “We are planning around 60 new generation trains for Kolkata Metro in the next four to five years. These trains will be commissioned and Kolkata Metro Rail will get a completely new generation of trains.”
The minister added that these new trains are part of a broader plan to modernize Kolkata Metro and boost urban mobility in the city.
“To improve mobility in Kolkata, a lot of efforts have been made. As the projects progress, mobility in Kolkata will also progress,” he said.
During the Metro train journey, “60 new generation trains will be introduced to Kolkata Metro in the next five years,” he said.
Later in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari received Union Minister Vaishnao at Nabanna, the state secretariat.
Meanwhile, Adhikari on Thursday announced that Kolkata will be connected through a water metro system, making it the 18th city in India to adopt a water-based urban transport network, while also outlining major marine and infrastructure expansion plans under the Centre’s Sagarmala 2 programme.
CM Adhikari said in a press conference that the state government has decided to actively participate in Sagarmala 2 and is preparing project proposals worth $22,700 crore over the next five years, focusing on coastal development, fishing infrastructure, island development and other marine initiatives.
Also read I Water Metro for Kolkata, potentially separate freight department: Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari
“Kolkata will be connected through a water metro system, making it the 18th city in India to adopt this type of transport. The previous government was not actively involved in many major projects of the central government. As a result, we have missed the opportunity to be part of the Sagarmala 1 programme,” he said. Talking about the Sagarmala 2 programme, he added: “However, yesterday the Prime Minister approved the Sagarmala 2 programme, and we have decided to join the scheme. We are preparing project proposals worth $22,700 crore for implementation over the next five years.
