At present, plying twice a day, only one pair of electric multiple units (EMUs) use the elevated tracks linking Dum Dum Cantonment to the airport. The 3.2-km elevated stretch was built at a cost of Rs 112 crore.
Recently, the authorities had started to explore the possibility of plying Metros in the idle stretch instead of EMUs. Accordingly, the Metro Railways had undertaken a project to study the feasibility of running Metros on the elevated structure. According to the plan, the “integration” will hinge on the Noapara car shed, which will now have to be upgraded to a station.
If the Centre sanctions the Dakshineswar extension, new stations will have to be built at Noapara, Baranagar and Dunlop. The Metros heading for Dakshineswar will ply through Noapara. Another platform will be required, which will reach Noapara and then take a detour towards the idle airport link, instead of going to Dakshineswar.
“It all depends on whether the Centre sanctions the Dakshineswar stretch. We will not need a new station at Noapara if the proposed Dakshineswar extension is not sanctioned. Then, we will just have to upgrade the Noapara car shed,” said a senior technical expert of Metro Railways. In such a case, people commuting to airport (Biman Bandar station) can board a Metro to Dum Dum — the present terminal station. From there, the Metro will ply through Noapara before running on the elevated route to the airport. A new allignment will have to be constructed from Noapara to the existing airport link, as it is technically not possible to directly ply Metros from the Dum Dum station to the airport.