With the extension of the north-south line of Kolkata&rsquos Metro Railway, travelling between the heart of the city and the suburban towns to the north of the city becomes faster and comfortable. The stretch of the Metro Rail which ran from Kavi Subhas station (New Garia, in the south) to Dumdum and Noapara (in the north) has now been extended till Dakshineswar. The extended route, which includes two new stations after Noapara &ndash Baranagar and Dakshineswar &ndash&nbspis scheduled to go operational from Tuesday, February 23, according to the railway authorities.

Pilgrims and visitors wanting to visit the famous Kali temple of Dakshineswar (established in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni and associated with the memory of Ramakrishna Paramahansa) will also benefit from this extension. Earlier, it was possible to reach the temple by road and ferry.

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The Dakshineswar Metro Station is about 300 metres from the temple complex. The metro station is located adjacent to the Dakshineswar Rail station of the Indian Railways (IR). There is a skywalk connecting the IR station to the temple complex.

Note, for now, only selective metro trains between 7am and 9.30pm will run between Kavi Subhas and Dakshineswar and vice versa. According to the Indian Railways, it will take around 62 minutes to reach Dakshineswar station from Kavi Subhas station and 32 minutes from Esplanade station of the Metro Railway.

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However, it is advisable to check the timings as disruptions in the initial few days cannot be ruled out. Also note, only Smart Cards are allowed for travelling on the metro the issue of daily tickets is yet to start.