Which Indian city opened its metro in 1984, making it India’s first metro system? Kolkata.
Kolkata opened India’s first metro system in 1984. The initial service began on October 24, 1984, on a 3.40-kilometre section between Esplanade and Bhowanipur, now called Netaji Bhavan, with five stations.
The project had been discussed since the 1920s, but construction began in the 1970s. Engineers used both cut-and-cover construction and shield tunneling through Kolkata’s difficult urban ground, while relocating utilities, tram infrastructure, sewers, and other services. The project took years to complete because of funding, engineering, and administrative obstacles.
Kolkata’s achievement is sometimes described as India’s first metro and, more broadly, South Asia’s first rapid-transit system. Delhi Metro, which opened later in 2002, is often more prominent in modern discussions because of its rapid expansion. That later success does not change Kolkata’s pioneering status.