Kolkata Metro’s Pink Line from Baranagar to Barrackpore gets civic clearance

This civic clearance follows the metro’s recent floating of a Rs 1,587.3-crore tender covering the construction of the elevated viaduct and 10 stations.

The elevated Pink Line (Line 5) will connect to Line 1 (Blue Line) at Baranagar. Running along Barrackpore Trunk Road, it will provide a much-needed rapid transit alternative to relieve heavy suburban congestion and reduce dependence on crowded Eastern Railway local trains.

There will be 11 planned elevated stations along the Pink Line, running from south to north along BT Road: Baranagar, Kamarhati (Krishna Kali), Agarpara (Acharya Prafulla Chandra), Panihati (Sarat Chandra), Sodepur (Gandhi Ashram), Subhash Nagar (Sukchar), Khardaha (Rishi Bankim), Tata Gate (Dr Rajendra Prasad), Titagarh (Shah Nawaz Khan), Talpukur (Anukul Thakur), and Barrackpore (Mangal Pandey terminal).

Among these, the southern terminal at Baranagar is already operational as part of the Blue Line, where it will serve as the primary interchange station for travel towards central Kolkata.

Locals have welcomed the direct metro route to the heart of Kolkata, which will provide a comfortable alternative to public buses along Barrackpore Trunk Road.

‘A major milestone’

“I stay in Titagarh. If I want to travel on the metro to my office in central Kolkata, I use the Baranagar metro station on the Blue Line. This Pink Line will be a great relief as it will reduce my travel time by at least half an hour,” said Jagarati Sinha.

Riya Shaw, a mother of two, said, “All the schools are located in Barrackpore. So we rely heavily on autorickshaws, buses, and local trains to take our children to school. During summer, it is not at all comfortable for children. The metro from Baranagar to Barrackpore will be a major milestone.”

The project gained momentum after coordinated discussions between West Bengal government officials, central representatives, and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari described the approvals as an example of “what focused administrative determination can achieve”.

“By pairing transit expansion with robust civic safeguards, including the construction of a new dedicated water transmission pipeline, safeguarding the city’s essential potable water supply while clearing the path for mass transit infrastructure, is a true demonstration of coordinated efforts and sustainable development,” he wrote on X.