Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

the Capital of the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

has a good transportation system. Kolkata's transport system is diverse, with a mix of modern and traditional modes of transport catering to the city's large population. The primary modes include: * Buses:- Both government and privately operated buses are there *

Kolkata Suburban Railway The Kolkata Suburban Railway (colloquially called Kolkata local trains or simply locals) is a suburban rail, suburban and regional rail system serving the Kolkata metropolitan area and its surroundings in West Bengal, India. Its network has 45 ...

:- The suburban train network connects Kolkata with surrounding areas like Howrah, Sealdah, and other suburbs, handling large volumes of daily commuters. *

Kolkata Metro The Kolkata Metro is a Urban rail transit in India, rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the Kolkata metropolitan area, Kolkata Metropolitan Region in West Bengal, India. Opened in 1984, it was the first operational rapid trans ...

:- The Kolkata Metro, India's first underground metro system, plays a vital role in reducing traffic congestion. * Trams:- Kolkata is the only Indian city with a functioning tram network, operated by Calcutta Tramways Company. Though slow, trams are iconic and still run in certain parts of the city. * Taxis and Auto-rickshaws:- Yellow taxis are icon of

, along with app-based taxi services like Uber and Ola. Auto-rickshaws also operate on shared and individual routes. *

Ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

:- The

Hooghly River The Hooghly River (, also spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') is the westernmost distributary of the Ganges, situated in West Bengal, India. It is known in its upper reaches as the Bhagirathi. The Bhagirathi splits off from the main branch of the G ...

is used for ferry services, offering an alternative mode of transport between

and its twin city,

Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...

. Kolkata’s transport infrastructure is continually evolving, with the metro expansions aimed at addressing the growing demand for public transport.

Roads

Traffic Jam - Park Circus Seven-point Crossing - Kolkata 20170825180423

Major roads in Kolkata city

Major North-South corridors in

(city proper) are: * Chittaranjan Avenue-

Chowringhee Road Chowringhee Road (also spelt ''Chourangi Road''), located in the Chowringhee neighbourhood of Kolkata, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road (AJC Bose Ro ...

- Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road- Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Sarani: A 4-8 laned road from Shyambazar 5-point crossing (North end) to

Tollygunge Tollygunge (; nicknamed 'Mini Mumbai' or 'Mini Bombay') is a locality of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is known for being the center of Indian Bengali-language cinema, with filming locations used for other regional Indian films. G ...

(South end) * APC Road-

AJC Bose Road Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road (earlier known as Lower Circular Road) and its continuation northwards called Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road (earlier known as Upper Circular Road), are together the longest and the most important north-south ...

- Gariahat Road- Raja SC Mullick Road: A 6-8 laned road up to

Jadavpur Jadavpur is a neighbourhood of Kolkata, South Kolkata in Kolkata district in West Bengal, India. Jadavpur is one of the important junctions in South Kolkata. Jadavpur University and a number of research institutes of national and international ...

and then 2-4 laned road starting from Shyambazar 5-point crossing (North end) to Garia (South end) * Eastern Metropolitan Bypass: A 8-10 laned road from Ultadanga to Sonarpur A number of East-West corridors works as connectors between the roads: *

- JBS Haldane Avenue: A 4-6 laned road from

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

to Science City * Rashbehari Avenue: A 4-6 laned road from Kalighat to Ruby * Prince Anwar Shah Road- Kalikapur Road: A 4-6 laned road from

to Kalikapur on EM Bypass * MG Road: A 4 laned road from

Howrah Bridge The Howrah Bridge is a balanced steel bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the both ...

to Sealdah

Bridges

(also known as Rabindra Setu) and

Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is an Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah. Opened in 1992, Vidyasagar Setu was ...

(also known as Second Hooghly Bridge) are two bridges connecting Kolkata with

over the

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

. Bally Bridge (also known as Vivekandanda Setu) is the third bridge over the river at the northern reach of the city near

Dakshineswar Dakshineswar is a neighbourhood in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Autho ...

from Howrah.It is a road cum rail bridge. The fourth and the newest one is Nivedita Setu which is a toll bridge beside Vivekananda Setu.

Major roads in KMA

Since Kolkata suffers from traffic congestion like other Indian cities, a network of expressways like Kona Expressway, Kalyani Expressway, Belghoria Expressway, flyovers and widening of southern stretch of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass are being created to ease up road traffic. Maa Flyover is an important flyover in Kolkata. A large network of roads are spread over in Kolkata which helps to reduce

traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...

. Elevated roads are present in New Town and Rajarhat area of Kolkata. Kolkata is connected to other parts of India by the National Highways 2, 6, 34, and 117. The Belghoria Expressway connects NH 34 with NH 2 and 6 via the Nivedita Setu while the NH 117 is connected to NH 6 by the Kona Expressway via the Vidyasagar Setu.

Railways

Kolkata is well-connected to the rest of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

by an extensive railway network of the Indian railways. Two divisions of the Indian railways - the Eastern Railway and the South Eastern Railway - are headquartered in the city. A total of five railway stations serve Kolkata. The two major

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s of the city are at

and Sealdah. The third station is called

has recently been constructed. This station is in North Kolkata and can be reached by a road opposite to the Radha Gobinda Kar Medical College & Hospital just beyond Shyambazar. International trains such as

Maitree Express The ''Maitree Express'' (13109/13110) train (), often pronounced Moitree Express, was the first express train service connecting Dhaka in Bangladesh to Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Bengali name ''Maitree Express'' means ''F ...

and

Bandhan Express The Bandhan Express train () is an international express rail service which runs between the Indian city Kolkata and the Bangladeshi city Khulna every week. It is the second modern day, fully air conditioned passenger train link between the In ...

depart from Kolkata Station. The fourth station is Santragachi Junction which operates weekly and bi-weekly express trains to ease pressure on Howrah junction. The fifth station is named Shalimar Railway Station which used to be a goods yard has been transformed into a station from where mail and express trains operate. Nowadays the Dankuni Station is being given importance and many long route trains stop at this station. The electrified suburban rail network of the SER and the ER is extensive and stretches far into the neighboring districts of

North 24 Parganas North 24 Parganas (abv. 24 PGS (N)) or sometimes North Twenty Four Parganas is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the tropical zone from latitude 22° 11′ 6″ north to 23° 15′ 2″ north and ...

South 24 Parganas South 24 Parganas (Pron: pɔrɡɔnɔs; abbr. 24 PGS (S)), or sometimes South Twenty Four Parganas and Dakshin 24 Parganas, is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Alipore previously, with its Zilla Parishad now in Ba ...

, Hooghly, Nadia, East Medinipur, West Medinipur and parts of East Barddhaman. The

is the largest suburban railway system in India with 1501 km route length. The Circular Rail encircles the entire city of Kolkata, starting and terminating at Dum Dum Junction. However, the poorly-patronized branch line between Dum Dum Cantonment railway station and Biman Bandar railway station is to be replaced by Yellow Line of

Rapid transit

Kolkata was the first city in South Asia to have an underground railway system that started operating in 1984. Kolkata Metro is the only metro system in

owned by the

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

. It is operated by two

subsidiaries A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidiary company. Unl ...

, the

Metro Railway, Kolkata Metro Railway, Kolkata, is the owner and operator of Kolkata Metro, the oldest metro system of India. On 29 December 2010, it became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways, operated by the Ministry of Railways. History In 1969, the Metropol ...

and

Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) is a Government of India enterprise formed in 2008. The agency was formed to oversee the implementing Kolkata Metro Green Line, also known as East–West Metro, connecting the twin cities Kolkata and Ho ...

(KMRC). Green Line is operated by the KMRC, while the other lines are operated by

. Metro Railway, Kolkata has the status of a Zonal Railway and is directly run by the

. The Blue Line is the oldest operating metro system in India which started operation in 1984, and the Green Line is India's first underwater metro system. Lines which are operational are: * Blue Line (North–South Metro) begins at Dakshineswar metro station in the north and continues south through Esplanade metro station in the heart of the city until the southern end in Kavi Subhash metro station ( New Garia). Blue Line is mostly underground with few elevated portions. It is the oldest metro line in India, inaugurated in 1984. * Green Line (East–West Metro) is currently operational in two sections. First one between Salt Lake Sector-V metro station and Sealdah metro station and second one between Esplanade metro station and Howrah Maidan metro station. Second section of the Green Line cross through the

, becoming India's first underwater metro system. The section between Sealdah and Esplanade is currently under construction; which is expected to open in 2025. It was inaugurated on 13 February 2020. * Purple Line is currently operational between Joka and Majerhat. The section from Majerhat to Esplanade is currently under various stages of construction. It was inaugurated on 30 December 2022. * Orange Line is currently operational between Kavi Subhash metro station ( New Garia) and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay metro station ( Kasba). Hemanta Mukhopadhyay– IT Centre metro station ( Salt Lake Sector-V) section is expected to be opened in 2025. It was inaugurated on 6 March 2024. Currently non-operational lines are: * Yellow Line (Noapara – Barasat) is expected to be opened in March 2025 from Noapara till Jai Hind ( NSCBI Airport). * Pink Line (Baranagar – Barrackpore) is planned but construction has not yet started. Some extensions have also been proposed. Trains run at a frequency of every 5 minutes (Peak Hours) to 15 minutes (Non-Peak Hours) from 6:55 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from 09:50 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday. Fares range between ₹5 and ₹30. The Kolkata Metro has commendable service, affordable ticket prices, clean stations and safety.

Buses

Kolkata despite not having any Rapid Bus Transit System has an extensive network of government run and privately run buses. Private

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

es in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal do not have a card system. One has to buy tickets after boarding the bus. However, WBTC run buses do accept 'West Bengal Transport Cards'. The bus tickets are simple paper tickets purchased from the bus conductor. The government buses were previously run by Calcutta State Transport Corporation, Calcutta Tramways Company, West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation, North Bengal State Transport Corporation and South Bengal State Transport Corporation. In the year 2016, the first three government bus companies merged and formed West Bengal Transport Corporation. The government buses are generally painted either blue color with white stripes or white color with blue stripes. This buses are identified by the WBTC symbol on the front windscreen and on their body. Both the name of the destination place as well as the name of the originating place is mentioned on the front of the bus either digitally ED Boardor written hite BoardThe fleet consist of Ashok Leyland JanBus, Tata Motors Marcopolo Bus, and Volvo 8400 buses and Eicher Starline buses. Air-conditioned buses were introduced in the year 2009 under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and are operated by WBTC.

Taxis

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

s are a very important aspect of Kolkata. In Kolkata only four people are allowed in a taxi. The non-air conditioned yellow metered

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

cabs are slowly being phased out. Many people use them as their main mode of transportation. From December 2013, under Gatidhara Scheme Of Government Of West Bengal, a new fleet of no-refusal taxis had started to ply. In March 2025, a private cab company named Yellow Heritage Cabs started introducing new yellow Wagon-R cabs. These cabs can be booked using the Yatri Sathi app.

Trams

Picture from the street of college street

Kolkata is the only city in India to have a

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

network. Trams are under the administration of the Calcutta Tramways Company, a government of West Bengal Undertaking, popularly called CTC (now merged with West Bengal Transport Corporation).

Small distance vehicles

Rickshaws Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or tri ...

pulled by men are common in Kolkata and

. Many migrants from Bihar and rural West Bengal are involved in rickshaw pulling. Nowadays except for some parts of Kolkata all the hand pulled rickshaws have been replaced by

cycle rickshaw The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport. It is a type of tricycle designed to carry passengers on a vehicle for hire, for-hire basis. It is also known by a variety of other names such as bike taxi, velotaxi, pedicab, bi ...

s. Fares are usually set by the rickshaw unions. These rickshaws usually operate over short distances due to the manual effort involved, and mainly run on narrow lanes where buses and auto-rickshaws don't ply. These rickshaws are not allowed to ply over main roads of Kolkata. Hand pulled rickshaws are mainly found in some old localities of North Kolkata and South Kolkata. Moreover, cycle rickshaws are also now being replaced by E-Rickshaw. They also ply on narrow lanes and not allowed to ply over main roads. Auto-rickshaws have become a very common

mode of transport A mode of transport is a method or way of travelling, or of transporting people or cargo. The different modes of transport include air, water, and land transport, which includes rails or railways, road and off-road transport. Other modes of t ...

for short distances. They are usually not metered, and are usually shared. There are several routes, and the auto-rickshaws of a particular route ply between two distinct places of that route only. Colloquially called ''autos'', they usually accommodate three people in the backseat, and one passenger in front beside the driver. The fares are usually quite low compared to other metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, the minimum fare being Rs10. Unlike other metros, the auto rickshaws do not run on a fare meter. The auto rickshaws are not allowed in major arterial roads and certain part of the city. Many suburban parts of Kolkata have e-rickshaws running on battery. The minimum fare is Rs.10. Colloquially called "''totos"'', they usually accommodate around 4 people with 2 opposite facing seats. Totos are very popular mode of transport in suburban parts of Kolkata and rural West Bengal. They are considered as a new and cleaner mode of public transport as they run on electricity.

Airport

The

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport () is an international airport serving the city of Kolkata and the Kolkata metropolitan region, Kolkata metropolitan area, the capital metropolis of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the ...

(also known as Kolkata Airport/ Dum Dum Airport) at

Dum Dum Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Author ...

is the only airport in

Kolkata Metropolitan Area The Kolkata Metropolitan Area (abbreviated KMA; formerly Calcutta Metropolitan Area), also known as Greater Kolkata, is the urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata (Calcutta) in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the third most populous ...

, operating both domestic and international flights. It is an important airport connecting

to different cities of India and neighboring countries of

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. Kolkata Airport ranks sixth in the list of the busiest airports in India. The number of people using the airport has consistently increased over the last few years. There is a flying club in Behala which has been restored after several years of inactivity. It is the oldest flying institute on the country.

Water transport

is a major riverine port and together with Haldia deep water port, the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust (formerly

Kolkata Port Trust The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SPMP or SMP, Kolkata), formerly the Kolkata Port, is the only riverine major port in India, in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, around from the sea. It is the oldest operating port in India and was construc ...

) has been ranked 6th in

. The port has regular passenger services to

Port Blair Port Blair (), officially named Sri Vijaya Puram, is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headqu ...

Ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

services between Kolkata - Howrah and Kolkata - Sagar Island are available. This ferry services are provided from various ''

ghat Ghat (), a term used in the Indian subcontinent, to refer to the series of steps leading down to a body of water or wharf, such as a bathing or cremation place along the banks of a river or pond, the Ghats in Varanasi, Dhobi Ghat or the Aap ...

s'' like Fairlie Ghat, Howrah Ghat, Shibpur Ghat, Prinsep Ghat, Babughat and Cossipore Ghat.

References

External links

Metro Railway, Kolkata

Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation

Eastern Railway

South Eastern Railway

West Bengal Transport Corporation

Calcutta Tramways Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolkata transport Kolkata