Tunnelling work of Kolkata's East-West Metro inaugurated

The tunneling work of the Rs.4,874 crore East-West Metro Corridor Project, linking the IT hub in Salt Lake with Howrah across the Hooghly river, was Saturday launched by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.The 14.67 km long route -- 8.9 km underground and 5.77 km elevated -- is being constructed through a special purpose vehicle, the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, with the Indian Railways holding the majority stake.The project, being funded through a soft loan by the Japan International Cooperation Association, will be the country's first underwater metro. The 460 meter distance between Mahakaran and Howrah Station would run under the Hooghly.The metro will have a dozen stations, six of them elevated and the rest underground, and the entire project is expected to be completed in two phases by December 2014.The Metro will be connected to the existing North-South Metro at the central station.Speaking at the function at east Kolkata's Beliaghata, the chief minister said the project would be the pride of the city and promised wholehearted cooperation from the state government.