This expansion marks one of the largest single-day additions to the city’s public transport system, totaling 13.61 km of new metro lines.

Key Highlights of the New Metro Lines

• First Direct Airport Connection: The new Noapara–Jai Hind Bimanbandar (Yellow Line) stretch will connect Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to the city’s metro network for the first time in 41 years. This will cut the travel time between the airport and Esplanade to approximately 30 minutes, a journey that currently takes 50 minutes by road.
• East-West Metro Completion: The 2.45 km Sealdah–Esplanade link will complete the East-West Metro (Green Line), a 16.6 km corridor that connects Salt Lake Sector V to Howrah Maidan. This includes a unique under-river section with twin tunnels 30 meters beneath the Hooghly River, featuring India’s deepest metro station at Howrah railway station.
• Orange Line Extension: The 4.4 km Hemanta Mukhopadhyay–Beleghata stretch (Orange Line) will provide better access to key city locations like hospitals, schools, and IT hubs.

Commuter Benefits and Features

The three new lines will significantly boost the metro’s capacity, adding 366 new services daily and increasing the total carrying capacity to 9.15 lakh passengers. All new lines will be compatible with a single smart card, ensuring a seamless travel experience across the entire network.

The new stations are designed with modern amenities, including:

• Wider concourses and lifts
• Escalators and accessible facilities for the differently-abled
• Public toilets and digital information systems

The Jai Hind Bimanbandar station is fully underground and offers direct access to the airport terminal, while the nearby Jessore Road station is at ground level.

This massive expansion is also expected to stimulate the economy and tourism by making business travel and commuting more efficient.

Sample Fare Chart (Airport Line)

The South City Mall is widely considered a premier retail destination in East India. Spanning over one million square feet, it’s a hub for both international and domestic brands, and it reports an impressive annual turnover exceeding INR 1,800 crore. The mall also features the largest food court in the region and extensive multi-level parking.

According to Sushil Mohta, Chairman of Merlin Group and a Director of South City Projects, this acquisition is a strong vote of confidence in Kolkata’s growing retail ecosystem. Asheesh Mohta, Blackstone’s Head of Real Estate Acquisitions in India, echoed this sentiment, stating that the firm is committed to leveraging its global scale and operational expertise to ensure the mall’s continued success. He noted the mall’s role as a key community hub for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

This acquisition adds a significant asset to Blackstone’s already extensive Indian real estate portfolio, which includes a large number of retail properties. The deal was led by Prakash Bachhawat of the JB Group on behalf of South City Projects.