Kolkata: Charging of the third rail on the stretch between Beleghata and Sector V stations of the Orange Line has started, a step that precedes the trial run of trains, scheduled to begin from Mahalaya.“Charging of the third rail means that henceforth, there will be continuous power supply to the third rail. Earlier, power supply was switched on for some time for checks and then withdrawn. The charging started from Thursday. People should not come anywhere near the third rail because the line is now live,” said a Metro Railway official. Railways sources said, “Trial run on the 10-km stretch between Beleghata and Sector V will start from Oct 10, Mahalaya.”Officials said rakes running on conventional or mainline railway tracks collect electricity from overhead cables through a pantograph. Metro Railway rakes have a third rail current collector (TRCC) that provides traction to the train.Orange Line (Kavi Subhas-Airport) is now operational over a 9-km stretch between Kavi Subhas and Beleghata stations. Once trains start running till Sector V, Orange Line will be operational on a stretch spanning more than 15 km. “Three new stations will be added to the network — Gour Kishore Ghosh, Nalban and Sector V,” said an official.The extension till Sector V will be the third phase of the Orange Line. The first phase was till Ruby crossing and the second, till Beleghata station. In two more phases, the entire corridor will be complete. Sources said the plan is to throw open phase IV between Sector V and City Centre II by Dec 2027, and the last phase by mid-2028.Sources said once trial runs begin, checks of the communication-based train control (CBTC) will be undertaken. “Inspection by the commissioner of railway safety (CRS) will follow the trial run. Once the CRS nod comes, passenger services can begin on the stretch,” said a central govt official.Railways sources had told TOI they were targeting a commercial run on the stretch from Christmas to help visitors to Nicco Park during the festive period.
