New Delhi, Feb 14 (KNN) Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal on February 13, inaugurated and flagged off the Phase I of East-West Metro corridor of Kolkata Metro connecting Salt Lake Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium and dedicated various other Railway projects to the Nation at a function in Kolkata.

Speaking on the occasion, Goyal said that the entire East-West corridor up to Howrah Maidan will be completed by December 2021 and expressed the hope that Kolkata Metro will become the preferred mode of transport for the people of the city.

Babul Supriyo, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and other dignitaries along with senior Railway officials were present on the occasion.

Presently, metro services are run in Kolkata on only one North-South corridor from Noapara to Kavi Subhas stations over a length of 27.3 Km. This corridor was inaugurated 36 years ago in 1984.

Goyal also dedicated to the Nation 140 km of railway electrification project as well as 41.13 kms of double/third line.

83% route kilometers of Eastern Railway has now been electrified and the balance is in progress so as to achieve 100% electrification by 2021.

In keeping with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in order to promote Indian Railways as an environmentally sustainable transport system, harnessing green and clean solar energy and thus minimizing the carbon footprint is a mission area of Railways.

Goyal dedicated to the Nation 3 MW rooftop solar power plant at Howrah station which has been installed without incurring any capital expenditure by Railways. It will supply electricity at Rs. 3.62 per unit for 25 years as against the present rate of Rs. 8.50 per unit. The total cumulative revenue saving will be Rs. 40 Crores (approx.) over the next 25 years.

Goyal also flagged off Train No 13064 Balurghat Howrah Express through video link.

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