Weeks ahead of West Bengal's biggest festival, Durga Puja, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on yet another major infrastructure push in the state.

Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for road and railway projects worth over Rs 5,200 crore in Kolkata, including the commissioning of three crucial Metro Railway routes under the East-West Metro corridor.

These projects are expected to ease transportation in the congested city and its surrounding districts.

This visit comes weeks after the Prime Minister inaugurated development projects worth over Rs 5,500 crore in Durgapur on July 18. The projects focused on improving infrastructure in the steel city as well as in the backward districts of Bankura and Purulia, including piped natural gas (PNG) supply for households, commercial establishments, and industries.

He had also launched pollution control systems at Durgapur Steel Plant and Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station, and dedicated the Durgapur to Kolkata section (132 km) of the Durgapur–Haldia natural gas pipeline as part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Project. The pipeline run through East Burdwan, Hooghly, and Nadia districts, enhancing energy access and development in South Bengal.

As per the Prime Minister’s Office, Modi will arrive in Kolkata on Friday afternoon after visiting Bihar earlier in the day. In Kolkata, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects, focusing on boosting passenger services in Indian Railways and expanding India’s oldest underground metro network.

The PM will flag off Kolkata Metro services on the newly constructed sections between Howrah and Sealdah linking the central part of the city, including congested Bow Bazar.

The long-awaited East-West Metro link will connect Howrah and Sealdah, two of the city’s busiest railway hubs in just nine minutes, thus revolutionizing the commuter services.

Prime Minister Modi will also undertake a Metro ride from Jessore Road Metro Station to Jai Hind Biman Bandar (Kolkata Airport) in North 24 Parganas, and is expected to address a public gathering during the event. He will inaugurate a total of 13.61 km of new Metro routes and services across the city.

At Jessore Road Metro Station, he will flag off the Noapara–Jai Hind Biman Bandar Metro service. Through video conferencing, he will also launch the Sealdah–Esplanade and Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Metro services. Additionally, the PM will inaugurate a newly built subway at the Howrah Metro Station.

He will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,200 crore in Kolkata and address the gathering on the occasion.

In addition, through video conferencing, he will also flag off the Sealdah–Esplanade metro service and the Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay metro service. He will also undertake a metro ride from Jessore Road Metro Station to Jai Hind Bimanbandar.

The Noapara–Jai Hind Biman Bandar metro service is expected to significantly improve access to the airport, while the Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section will enhance connectivity to the city’s growing IT hub. These Metro expansions are set to connect some of Kolkata’s busiest neighborhoods, reduce travel time, and strengthen multimodal connectivity, benefiting lakhs of daily commuters.

The commissioning of these routes ahead of Durga Puja will allow pandal-hoppers easier access to community celebrations spread across the city. The East-West Metro corridor, once fully operational, is expected to cover the entire city complementing the existing North-South network that links both 24 Parganas.

In a major boost to road infrastructure in the region, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of 7.2 km long six-lane elevated Kona Expressway worth over Rs 1,200 crore. It will enhance

connectivity between Howrah, surrounding rural areas, and Kolkata,saving significant travel time and giving a fillip to trade, commerce, and tourism in the region.