The Kolkata Metro Orange Line’s Beleghata-IT Centre section has entered trial operations, clearing a major construction and clearance hurdle that had delayed the 3.5-km extension for months. The first trial run was conducted on Saturday, with testing of the corridor’s Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system also beginning.
Kolkata Metro said in a social media post that the first trial run on the Beleghata-IT Centre section was successfully conducted and marked the commencement of CBTC system trials. The technology is designed to regulate train movements and improve operational efficiency.
The section includes the busy Chingrighata crossing, where construction work had remained stalled amid a dispute over police clearance. According to the report, permission was granted after the BJP came to power in West Bengal in May, and work at the crossing was subsequently completed in phases over weekends to limit disruption at the congested junction.
The extension is expected to improve connectivity for commuters travelling between Salt Lake Sector V, Kolkata’s major information technology hub, and the southern parts of the city. Office-goers currently spend at least 1.5 hours travelling by road during peak periods, according to the report.
Once operational, the Beleghata-IT Centre section will bring the Orange Line closer to New Town, the satellite township to the east of Kolkata. The corridor is eventually planned to extend to the airport, although the supplied report does not specify a date for that future connection.
The 32-km Orange Line currently operates between Kavi Subhash and Beleghata. The Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section was commissioned in March 2024, while passenger services on the Hemanta Mukhopadhyay-Beleghata stretch began in August 2025.
The new trial marks the latest stage in extending the line towards the IT corridor. Before passenger services can begin on the Beleghata-IT Centre section, the railway authorities will need to complete the prescribed testing and operational processes, including trials of the CBTC system. The report does not provide a passenger-service start date.
