Kolkata/Siliguri: The Bengal govt will conduct a techno-economic feasibility study for developing metro links in the Durgapur-Asansol industrial corridor and the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri business hub.The announcement made in the BJP govt’s maiden state budget on Monday is also the first initiative to develop metro links beyond Kolkata. At present, Maharashtra has metros in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune; and Uttar Pradesh has metros in Nodia and Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra. The proposed metro connectivity has the potential to improve urban mobility, reduce travel time, ease road congestion, and provide reliable mass transit for workers, students, traders, and daily commuters.In the Durgapur-Asansol belt, a metro link can strengthen last-mile connectivity to industrial zones, mining areas, logistics hubs, educational institutions, and commercial centres, thereby supporting higher productivity, smoother movement of labour, and greater investment in the region.In Siliguri-Jalpaiguri, improved metro connectivity can boost trade, tourism, retail, and cross-border business activity by linking key transport nodes, markets, residential areas, and emerging growth centres. Such projects can act as catalysts for planned urban expansion, job creation, transit-oriented development, and balanced regional economic growth.NFR CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the feasibility study for the 45 km link that takes 1.5 to 2 hours to commute at present will examine passenger traffic, possible alignments, land requirements and financial viability.
