PM Narendra Modi Highlights: ‘INDI Alliance is still in 20th century,’ says PM

PM Narendra Modi Bengal visit LIVE updates: As the prime minister will inaugurate the ‘priority corridor’ on the Agra Metro today, let's delve into the details of when the ‘Agra Metro Rail Project’ was initiated and its funding,

• The commencement of the Agra Metro Rail Project dates back to December 7, 2020, with funding being shared among various entities. Half of the project's funding is sourced from the European Investment Bank (EIB), while the remaining half is evenly divided between the state and central governments.

• The total expenditure for the Agra Metro Rail Project stands at Rs. 8379.62 crore, with Rs. 2100 crore allocated for completing the priority section.

PM Narendra Modi Bengal visit LIVE updates: Following its inauguration today, the Agra Metro will begin its operations on the 'priority corridor,' encompassing six stations over a 6 km span.

The first three stations situated above ground on this corridor include Taj East Gate, Shaheed Captain Shubham Gupta, and Fatehabad Road Station. Meanwhile, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Mankameshwar stations are located underground.

PM Narendra Modi Bengal visit LIVE updates: The prime minister will inaugurate the ‘priority corridor’ of the Agra Metro through a video conference, joined by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Agra today.

This particular stretch, managed by the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC), aims to provide tourists with convenient metro connectivity to prominent landmarks such as the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

PM Narendra Modi Bengal visit LIVE updates: A17-km extension of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, running from Duhai to Modi Nagar North, will also be inaugurated today by PM Modi.

The inauguration will involve the Prime Minister's flagging off a Namo Bharat train on this new section via video conference from Kolkata's Muradnagar Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) station. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will also be in attendance during the ceremony.

PM Narendra Modi Bengal visit LIVE updates: The idea of the ‘underwater metro’ dates back to the British era,

• Bengal-born British engineer Harley Dalrymple-Hay conceived an ambitious project over a century ago: a 10.6km underground railway connecting Kolkata and Howrah, according to a BBC report

• His vision included a tunnel beneath the Hooghly River and ten stations. However, due to financial constraints and concerns regarding the city's soil conditions, the project never materialised.

• In 1928, CESC, Kolkata's electricity provider, approached Harley to construct a tunnel beneath the Hooghly for power cables.

• Harley accepted the challenge, and by 1931, the tunnel became Kolkata's first underwater tunnel, facilitating the transmission of power cables between Kolkata and Howrah, the BBC report added.

• Despite the original plan's failure, the tunnel remains operational, albeit for transmitting power cables rather than accommodating trains.

PM Narendra Modi Bengal visit LIVE updates: The Kolkata Metro, India's pioneer metro system and the fifth in Asia, commenced partial commercial operations on October 24, 1984.

Initially spanning a distance of 3.40 km and comprising five stations from Esplanade to Netaji Bhavan, according to the metro website.

PM Narendra Modi Bengal visit LIVE updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate “India's first under-river metro tunnel” in Kolkata today. This tunnel, built beneath the Hooghly River, will link Howrah Maidan and Esplanade, marking a significant milestone in transportation infrastructure.

It is a part of the East-West Metro project, spanning 16.5 km and linking Howrah on the western bank of the Hooghly to Salt Lake City on the eastern bank. Its primary objective is to alleviate traffic congestion in Kolkata, a city steeped in 300 years of history, while also contributing to the reduction of vehicular pollution.