Metro railway, Kolkata conducted trial runs on the Sealdah-Esplanade stretch under the Kolkata east west metro project on January 21, 2025. Once operationalised, this stretch will allow commuters in Kolkata and surrounding areas to travel easily between Sealdah and Howrah railway stations and different parts of the city, connecting through the Esplanade underground metro station. At present, East-West Metro trains operate on the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade and Sealdah-Sector 5 stretches.
The project involves construction and operation of a 16.6 km long metro connecting Sector 5, Salt Lake in Kolkata to Howrah Maidan through an underwater metro track in West Bengal. It is expected to commence operations by the end of 2025.