{"id":1091917,"date":"2026-10-14T15:43:30","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/?p=1091917"},"modified":"2026-10-14T15:43:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:13:30","slug":"kolkata-metro-orange-line-project-advances-as-beleghata-to-sector-v-trials-begin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/kolkata-metro-orange-line-project-advances-as-beleghata-to-sector-v-trials-begin","title":{"rendered":"Kolkata Metro Orange Line project advances as Beleghata to Sector V trials begin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kolkata Metro Orange Line has moved closer to reaching Salt Lake Sector V after completing its first trial run between Beleghata and IT Center on October 10, 2026. The development follows the completion of long-pending viaduct work at Chingrighata, which had held up this section of the New Garia to airport corridor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Metro Railway has started testing the new stretch, including its signaling system. Passenger services have not yet begun. The section must complete the required tests and safety checks before it can open to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kolkata Metro Orange Line route and project details<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Kolkata Metro Orange Line, also known as Line 6, is a planned 32 km corridor connecting Kavi Subhash in New Garia with Jai Hind Bimanbandar near the airport. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) is implementing the project.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 9.8 km section between New Garia<\/a> and Beleghata has been commissioned in phases. The next extension will add three stations, which are Gour Kishore Ghosh, Nalban, and IT Center in Sector V.<\/span><\/p>\n

The extension will improve Metro access to Salt Lake’s business district and New Town. IT Center is planned to connect with the Green Line, which links Sector V with central Kolkata, Sealdah, Esplanade and Howrah Maidan. Further work is required to extend the Orange Line towards the airport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chingrighata Metro clears a major construction bottleneck<\/b><\/h2>\n

The main obstacle was a missing section of elevated track at Chingrighata, near the EM Bypass. Without this connection, trains could not travel continuously between Beleghata<\/a> and IT Center. The work involved a 62-meter gap over the Chingrighata crossing and a further 304 meters across 10 spans. Together, these sections formed the 366-meter stretch that had delayed the extension.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ministry of Railways confirmed that the Chingrighata crossing work was completed in May 2026. The West Bengal government permitted temporary traffic diversion that month, about 1.5 years after the request was made. The completion of the viaduct allowed the project to move towards inspections and train trials. Metro Railway conducted the first reported trial run on October 10, marking a key step towards extending passenger services to Sector V.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the Chingrighata Metro work faced delays<\/b><\/h2>\n

Construction at Chingrighata required temporary traffic restrictions so workers could install the viaduct sections over a busy road junction. The work could not proceed until the required traffic diversion was approved.<\/span><\/p>\n

In its official update, the Ministry of Railways confirmed that permission for the temporary traffic diversion was granted in May 2026. The ministry also noted that project completion can depend on land acquisition, utility shifting, and statutory clearances from different authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The missing section held up the connection to Sector V even as other parts of the Orange Line moved forward. Its completion has now allowed the Beleghata to IT Center section to enter the testing stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Orange Line trial runs and current project status<\/b><\/h2>\n

Metro Railway began trial runs on the Beleghata to IT Center stretch on October 10. The initial run was conducted at a lower speed while engineers checked train movement and system performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Metro Railway confirmed that the trial marks the start of testing the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) system. The system manages train movement and signaling. Testing will check train performance, signaling response, and station operating procedures.<\/span><\/p>\n

The new section must complete its trials before the Commissioner of Railway Safety can inspect it. Any issues raised during the inspection must be addressed before the required safety clearance is granted.<\/span><\/p>\n

The trial phase is therefore separate from commercial operations. The completion of civil work and the start of train testing do not, by themselves, confirm that passengers can use the extension.<\/span><\/p>\n

When will Kolkata Metro Orange Line reach Sector V?<\/b><\/h2>\n

RVNL has set a target to start commercial services on the Beleghata to Sector V stretch by the end of 2026. The target remains subject to successful trials, technical checks and the required safety clearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

The extension must pass the remaining tests before the Commissioner of Railway Safety can inspect the section. Any required changes could affect the final opening date. The October trial run is a key step towards the target, but it does not confirm a passenger launch date. Commuters should rely on an official Metro Railway announcement for confirmation of the start of services.<\/span><\/p>\n

How the Orange Line could affect Kolkata’s real estate<\/b><\/h2>\n

Square Yards Data Intelligence data highlights price differences along the Orange Line corridor. Beleghata’s average apartment price reached around Rs 11,100 per square foot (psf) in mid-2026, up 31.2% year-on-year, while New Garia averaged Rs 5,200 psf Salt Lake City stood at approximately Rs 12,350 psf, compared with Rs 10,200 psf in Sector V. Beleghata’s average monthly rent for a 2-BHK apartment was around Rs 11,900.<\/span><\/p>\n

Improved Metro connectivity to Sector V could support housing demand in Beleghata and nearby areas by making daily commutes more convenient. It may also improve the appeal of comparatively lower-priced locations along the corridor, including New Garia. However, price differences reflect several factors beyond connectivity, and recent appreciation cannot be attributed to the Metro project alone. The impact on property prices and rents will become clearer once passenger services begin and market trends can be assessed over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remaining Orange Line phases towards the Airport<\/b><\/h2>\n

Reaching Sector V is an intermediate step in the Orange Line project. The full corridor is planned to connect New Garia with Jai Hind Bimanbandar near the airport, with further work required beyond the current operational section and the Sector V extension.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next planned phase will extend the line towards City Center II, followed by the remaining section towards the airport. RVNL’s reported project targets have pointed to 2027 for these later phases, but the dates depend on construction progress and commissioning requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n

The remaining work will need to be completed, and the railway systems tested before passenger services can begin on each new section.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chingrighata breakthrough has removed a major construction obstacle on the route to Sector V. The next milestone is the completion of trials and safety checks, while the wider goal of a continuous Metro connection to the airport depends on progress across the remaining sections.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kolkata Metro Orange Line has moved closer to reaching Salt Lake Sector V after completing its first trial run between Beleghata and IT Center on October 10, 2026. The development follows the completion of long-pending viaduct work at Chingrighata, which had held up this section of the New Garia to airport corridor. Metro Railway has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":1091923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29381],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091917"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1091917"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1091928,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091917\/revisions\/1091928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1091923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1091917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squareyards.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1091917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}