Orange Line extension till Sec V likely by Dec

Kolkata: Metro Railway hopes to extend Orange Line services up to IT Centre station at Sector V by Dec. Currently, trains in this New Garia-Airport corridor run from New Garia up to Beleghata station at Metropolitan on E M Bypass. Work to fill a crucial 366m gap in viaduct, on which tracks are laid, at the Chingrighata crossing would finally begin on Friday, which would facilitate the extension till Sector V, said an official."We are optimistic that train services may start (between Metropolitan and Sector V) by Dec 2026. The state is granting us the permissions, which will help us complete all pending metro work," said S S Kannan, CPRO, Metro Railway, on Thursday. "The long-awaited pending work at Chingrighata starts on Friday. In the first phase, a 60-hour traffic block will be in place from Friday 8 pm to Monday 8 am. The state has given us the permission, Kolkata Police has granted the traffic block. Again from May 22 to 25, there will be another 60-hour traffic block to launch the second segment. Police have assured us their support."Two overhead concrete segments or girders will be placed to join piers 317 to 319 at the busy Chingrighata crossing in two phases over the next two weekends, which will be possible after Kolkata Police on Wednesday issued a notification, sanctioning traffic diversions at the spot on EM Bypass. This weekend, the work will involve placing concrete girders between piers 317 and 318 on the Ultadanga-bound flank of EM Bypass. In the second phase, starting next Friday, the girders will be placed between piers 318 and 319.As the viaduct work between Metropolitan and Sector V, barring the 366m stretch at Chingrighata, is almost complete, bridging this gap has become crucial to finish the corridor, considered a vital link between the southern suburbs and Sector V and subsequently, the airport. Given the delay in granting permission for the traffic block at Chingrighata, a PIL was filed in the high court, which fixed Feb 2026 as the date for Kolkata Police to grant the block. But the former Trinamool-led govt moved the Supreme Court against the order. The SC ordered immediate granting of the traffic block to facilitate the metro work, which it said, was being executed with public money.Even on Monday, police said that only nightlong blocks would be available from 10 pm to 7 am from Friday to Sunday. But RVNL presented a report by IIT-Kharagpur and said 60-hour blocks on two weekends would be needed instead of the 27-hour blocks for two weekends to ensure stronger construction and safety for vehicles and people on the road.