Trial runs on the 3.5-km Beleghata–IT Centre section of Kolkata Metro’s Orange Line began on Saturday, bringing the delayed extension closer to passenger operations and strengthening the link between Salt Lake Sector V and southern Kolkata.
Kolkata Metro said in a social media post that the first trial run was successfully conducted on the section, marking the start of trials for the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system. The signalling technology is intended to regulate train movements and improve operational efficiency.
The trial marks a key construction milestone after work at the busy Chingrighata crossing remained stalled for months because of a clearance dispute involving the police. According to the report, police granted permission for the construction work after the BJP came to power in West Bengal in May. The work at the crossing was subsequently completed in phases over weekends.
Once operational, the extension will connect the IT hub of Salt Lake Sector V with the Orange Line’s southern end at Garia. The corridor is expected to provide an alternative to road travel for office-goers commuting between the two parts of the city. The source report said many such commuters currently spend at least 1.5 hours travelling by road during peak periods.
The new section will also take the Orange Line closer to New Town, a major satellite township and employment centre to the east of Kolkata. The corridor is eventually planned to extend to the airport, although the report did not provide a passenger-service date for the Beleghata–IT Centre section or a timeline for the airport connection.
Saturday’s trial, held on the occasion of Mahalaya, also begins the process of testing the line’s train-control arrangements before passenger services can start. Trial runs allow the railway authorities to assess operational systems and infrastructure on the completed section, while the final commencement of services will depend on subsequent procedures and approvals.
The Orange Line currently operates across 32 km 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 start of trials therefore extends the operational network towards the IT corridor while addressing a construction bottleneck that had held up the next section. Kolkata Metro’s statement identified the beginning of CBTC trials as the immediate next step for the Beleghata–IT Centre stretch.
