Kolkata Metro Expansion: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated three metro routes in Kolkata. He waved the green flag to commence operations on these routes - Green, Yellow, and Orange Lines.

The 13.61-km addition to the existing network, marks a defining moment in the city's metro journey that began in 1984.

How will these lines reshape travel habits in the city?

1. Green Line: Also known a East-West Metro, was running in two sections until now - the 9.2 km Sector V-Sealdah or Green Line I and the 4.8 km Esplanade-Howrah Maidan or Green Line II.

PM Modi inaugurated a 2.6 km section between Sealdah and Esplanade, marking the full operationalisation of the Green Line. With this, the commuters can now travel between the two of the busiest railway stations, Sealdah and Howrah, in 11 minutes.

At present, it takes almost 50 minutes by road due to traffic snarls. The metro route is obviously going to become a preferred mode of travelling now.

2. Yellow Line: While Green Line will revolutionise the travel experience for train passengers, Yellow Line will revolutionaries the experience for air passengers as the newly inaugurated 6.77-km Noapara to Jai Hind Bimanbandar stretch will connect to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport for the first time in 41 years.

Travelling to the airport currently takes over an hour by road due to traffic congestion. With the Yellow Line being operational, this distance can now be covered in just 30 minutes.

3. Orange Line: The line connecting Hemanta Mukhopadhyay to Beleghata will provide seamless connectivity between Kolkata's south and west. It is a key extension of the network that will link Science City, hospitals, schools, and business hubs.

With this line, the distance between Beleghata and Kavi Subhash will now be reduced to 32 minutes.

(With PTI Inputs)