Jaya always felt joyous and a little sad every time Jamaishasthi approached.
In her 4 years of married life, every Jamaishasthi brought her a wave of pleasant expectations. The thought of spending a day with her parents always made her happy.
At the same time, she was somewhat sensitive to her husband’s sarcastic comments about Howrah.
Although she was born and brought up in Howrah, she got married in a Kolkata family.
Her husband used to always make a comment or two about Howrah being so far away and all that.
But now, it changed all of a sudden.
Jaya and her husband took a Metro ride to Howrah from Esplanade as soon as it was inaugurated.
And now Howrah is no longer far at all. It is just minutes away from the central area of Kolkata.
The Esplanade-Howrah Maidan Metro has boosted connectivity massively. It is expected that the residents of Howrah will benefit immensely.
Easy connectivity with Kolkata is likely to catalyze a property boom near the Metro lines.
We will see how that will happen but before that let us see how Kolkata’s Metro map has changed.
Kolkata’s Metro Network Expanded
Kolkata’s Metro network has expanded after the inauguration of 3 sections of 3 different Metro lines.
The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the East-West Metro line (Green Line) was inaugurated recently. This is the first Metro in the country where trains pass under the Hooghly River. This is a technological marvel.
This line brings various locations in Howrah within minutes of the central business district of Kolkata.
There are 130 services (65 services from Howrah Maidan and 65 services from Esplanade) daily.
Trains are available from Monday to Friday (7 am-9.45 pm) at 12-15-minute intervals.
Apart from the above, Metro has started plying on the Orange Line’s Kavi Subhash to Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (near Ruby Hospital).
A total of 48 daily services are available on this stretch (24 services from Kavi Subhash and 24 services from Hemanta Mukhopadhyay) from Monday to Friday.
The services are operational from 9 am to 4.40 pm.
Also, Metro started running on the extended stretch from Joka to Majerhat on the Purple Line.
A total of 36 services (18 services from Joka and 18 services from Majerhat) are operational daily from 8.30 am to 3.45 pm from Monday to Friday.
How the Citizens will Benefit
Residents living near all 3 Metro lines are going to benefit. Let us see how that is going to happen in each case.
For example, a higher number of services on the extended stretch from Joka to Majerhat will help the residents of Behala and Joka as they can catch trains on the Sealdah suburban train easily. It will also be easier and more comfortable to travel as compared to autorickshaws and buses. It will be more convenient to commute to various healthcare centres near Majerhat/New Alipore for the Behala and Joka residents.
For the residents living near the Ruby-Garia stretch of the EM Bypass, the Metro will be a godsend.
Residents of locations within 15 minutes of travel by autorickshaw will find it much easier to avail of Metro services. For example, residents of the Garia station area can travel to Ruby Hospital much faster now. Residents of these areas will find it easier to go to Salt Lake Sector 5 once the entire Orange Line is operational.
However, the biggest impact of a new Metro Line will be felt by the residents of Howrah and beyond.
Howrah residents have been traveling to Kolkata via crowded, uncomfortable bus or launch rides for work. Now, that is a thing of the past. In just a few minutes, they will travel to Esplanade/BBD Bag. They can even catch a Metro to Park Street or Tollygunge from Esplanade Metro on the Blue Line.
Once the entire Green Line is operational, Howrah residents will be able to travel to Salt Lake Sector 5 in a matter of minutes.
Which Areas will Benefit the Most?
When any Metro Line becomes operational, areas along the line get the benefit of faster connectivity. New autorickshaw, bus route routes come up offering last-mile connectivity.
Better connectivity helps real estate development. Property prices generally take an upward shift.
This phenomenon was clearly visible in all the earlier Metro extensions in Kolkata.
Property prices soared in the Tollygunge-Garia belt in 2009 when the North-South Metro was extended beyond Tollygunge, and, to an extent, in the Behala-Joka belt when the Joka-Taratala service commenced in 2022.
It is going to happen again in Howrah.
Let us see which areas will considerably benefit.
Then we can figure out which areas will see increased real estate development activity.
Let us see the likely impact on Howrah.
All neighbourhoods within a 20-minute autorickshaw or bus ride from Howrah station and Howrah Maidan will see a boom in prices.
The East-West Metro will see property development along Foreshore Road, GT Road, Salkia, Shibpur, Andul, Santragachhi, Lilua, and Kona Expressway.
Moreover, areas such as Konnagar, Serampore, or Chandanangore will also benefit as people can take the Metro from Howrah and reach Kolkata faster.
Property development will also get a boost in areas near Garia station. All locations within a 20-minute autorickshaw/bus ride will witness rising real estate prices.
Metro is a Game Changer
Whenever the Metro connects any locality with its network, the real estate industry gets a filip. Industry watchers are expecting a 10%-15% appreciation in prices over the next 12 months in Howrah and Hooghly.
The signs are already visible as property prices started to move up in all the respective locations.
As these Metro Lines are fully operational, the citizens will enjoy a faster, safer, and more comfortable intra-city travel experience.
The days are not very far when you can travel to various parts of the city by the Metro network.
