Kolkata Airport to the City: Metro, Prepaid Taxi, App Cabs and Buses
Kolkata Airport is 17 km from the city centre, and until 2025 that meant a road journey every time. Since August 2025 the Yellow Line metro runs from Jai Hind station under the airport to Noapara, where the Blue Line continues into the city, and it is now the cheapest and most predictable way in. Prepaid taxis, app cabs and air-conditioned buses cover the hours the metro does not. Below is what each option costs and takes as of September 2026, and the one rule that keeps the trip painless: ignore anyone who offers you a taxi inside the terminal.
Metro: the Yellow Line from Jai Hind
Jai Hind (also signed Biman Bandar, Bengali for airport) is the largest underground metro station in India and the terminus of the Yellow Line. It opened on 22 August 2025 and is connected to the terminal by an underground walkway with moving walkways; from the arrivals hall follow the metro signs to Gate 1, and allow ten minutes with luggage. Trains run the 7 km to Noapara in about 15 minutes, stopping at Jessore Road and Dum Dum Cantonment. At Noapara you change to the Blue Line, the city’s original north-south line, for Dum Dum, Shyambazar, Esplanade (about 45 minutes from the airport door to door), Park Street, Kalighat and the south; at Esplanade the Green Line crosses under the Hooghly to Howrah. Yellow Line fares are ₹5 to ₹20 and a through ticket into the centre stays well under ₹50. The catch is the timetable: the first train from the airport leaves around 7:40 am and the last around 9:18 pm, with no service overnight, so a midnight arrival from the Gulf or Southeast Asia is still a taxi. Luggage is allowed; the station has lifts and escalators.
Prepaid taxi
The prepaid taxi counter is in the arrivals hall near Gate 3C, run by the airport and the police. Tell the counter your destination, choose the vehicle class, pay, and take the slip to the marshal outside, who assigns the taxi; the driver gets the slip and is paid by the counter, so there is nothing to negotiate. A sedan to Park Street, Esplanade or Howrah costs roughly ₹450 to ₹950 in 2026 depending on the class and distance, with the yellow Ambassador taxis at the cheaper end. It is the right choice at 2 am, in the monsoon, and for anyone who does not want to run an app on arrival.
Ola, Uber and Yatri Sathi
App cabs pick up from a designated zone outside the arrivals exit, signed from the hall. Book while you are still inside on the airport Wi-Fi (free for 45 minutes on the Tata network, with a PIN by SMS) or your own data, then walk out and match the plate. Ola and Uber are joined by Yatri Sathi, the West Bengal government-backed app that many drivers prefer. Off-peak fares to Park Street run around ₹380 to ₹650; in the 5 pm to 9 pm rush they surge to ₹800 or more, at which point the prepaid counter is cheaper. To Rajarhat and New Town, where most of the hotels in this guide are, expect ₹250 to ₹450 and 20 to 30 minutes.
WBTC buses
West Bengal Transport Corporation runs air-conditioned buses from the airport bus stand from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm: VS1 to Esplanade, VS2 and AC39 to Howrah station, AC37 to Garia, V1 to Tollygunge and others. Fares are a fraction of a cab’s, the buses have luggage space, and the journey to Esplanade takes 45 to 90 minutes depending on traffic. They are the budget option for a solo traveller with one bag; a family with luggage will find the metro or a cab easier.
Getting to the hotels
None of the hotels in this guide runs a free shuttle. The Holiday Inn Express is a ten-minute walk across Jessore Road; the Rajarhat and New Town hotels are a cab ride of 10 to 25 minutes, by app cab, prepaid taxi or the hotel’s own car booked in advance. Our hotel transfers guide has the details for each.
Tips
Never take a ride from anyone who approaches you in the terminal; touts quote a plausible price, then multiply it outside. Use the prepaid counter, the app-cab zone or a hotel car. If you are heading into the city between 5 pm and 9 pm, take the metro rather than sit on VIP Road. During Durga Puja in October, the Sreebhumi pandal on VIP Road can add an hour to any road journey; our Durga Puja travel guide explains. And if your flight lands after 9:30 pm, the metro has stopped: go straight to the prepaid counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a metro from Kolkata Airport?
Yes, since 22 August 2025. Jai Hind (Biman Bandar) station on the Yellow Line is linked to the terminal by an underground walkway with travellators; trains run to Noapara in about 15 minutes, where you change to the Blue Line for Dum Dum, Shyambazar, Esplanade, Park Street and the south. Trains run from about 7:40 am to 9:18 pm from the airport, so it does not cover the late-night arrivals.
How much is a taxi from Kolkata Airport to Park Street?
At the prepaid counter in the arrivals hall a sedan to Park Street or Esplanade costs roughly ₹450 to ₹700 in 2026 depending on the vehicle class, fixed and paid in advance. Ola and Uber from the app-cab pickup zone are usually a little cheaper off peak and more in the evening surge. The 17 km journey takes 40 to 60 minutes.
Where do Ola and Uber pick up at Kolkata Airport?
From the designated app-cab pickup zone outside the arrivals exit, signed from the hall. Book the cab on the airport Wi-Fi or your own data before you walk out, and match the number plate. Do not accept a ride from anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
How long does it take to get from Kolkata Airport to the city?
By road, 40 to 60 minutes to Park Street or Esplanade in normal traffic and up to 90 in the evening rush, 25 to 35 minutes to Salt Lake Sector V, 30 to 45 to New Town. By metro, about 45 minutes to Esplanade with the change at Noapara. Howrah station is 60 to 80 minutes by road.
Information last verified: September 17, 2026