The Ministry of Railways has revealed to Parliament that several key expansion corridors of the Kolkata Metro are significantly delayed. The primary reasons cited include land acquisition hurdles, removal of encroachments, and pending clearances from the West Bengal Government.
Currently, 52 kilometers of new metro lines are under construction in and around Kolkata. However, as Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, approximately 20 kilometers of these projects remain stalled.
The Joka–Esplanade corridor, one of the crucial expansion lines, exemplifies these challenges. While the 7.74-km Joka–Majerhat section is operational, construction beyond Majerhat up to Esplanade continues to face delays.
A notable bottleneck has been land acquisition issues at Khidderpur, where land owned by the Kolkata Armed Police was required for the project. Approval for this land was pending for nearly five years and was only granted in July 2025, further pushing back progress.
Minister Vaishnaw’s disclosure underscores the complex administrative and logistical challenges facing urban infrastructure projects in the region, with hopes pinned on timely government cooperation to accelerate completion.
