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Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Kolkata Metro Purple Line: Tunnelling work from Kidderpore to Park Street begins
Tunnelling work on Kolkata Metro's Purple Line from Kidderpore to Victoria began Thursday, with the launch of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) named 'Divya'. Metro Railway officials said the machine will tunnel up to Victoria in the first phase, covering 1.7 km, and is expected to break through by May 2026. The entire underground stretch to Park Street is targeted for completion by the end of 2026. The launch shaft—measuring 37 metre in length, 22 metre in width, and 17 metre in depth—has been constructed within the premises of St Thomas' School, Khidderpore. Two TBMs, 'Durga' and 'Divya', are being deployed to construct the twin tunnels between Khidderpore and Park Street. Beyond Park Street, the final stretch up to Esplanade will be built using the cut-and-cover method. Durga's tunnelling was formally flagged off by Metro Railway General Manager Uday Kumar Reddy at the school premises, in the presence of the Consul General of Nepal and senior officials from Metro Railway, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the Defence Authority, CMRI Hospital, WBTC and St Thomas' School. 'It is a historic day for the people of Kolkata as the Tunnel Boring Machine has started off. It is a very important and joyous occasion for the city,' Reddy said. The Purple Line, also known as Line 3 of Kolkata Metro, is a 15.08-km corridor that will connect Joka in South Kolkata to Esplanade in the city centre, with a proposed extension to Diamond Park. A portion of the corridor, from Joka to Taratala, is already operational, while the extension to Majerhat has been completed. The line will intersect the Blue Line at Park Street and Esplanade, and the Green Line at Esplanade. It will include a mix of elevated and underground stations, serving locations such as Joka, Taratala, Majerhat, Mominpur, Khidderpore, Victoria, Park Street and Esplanade. Of the total stretch, eight stations are elevated and four are underground. The TBMs, each 95 metre long and weighing around 600 tonne, were assembled in Chennai and brought to Kolkata in March this year for final assembly and lowering. They are Earth Pressure Balancing (EPB) type machines, designed to tackle Kolkata's high groundwater table and soft soil conditions. Metro officials said the machines are equipped with inflatable seals, pressure transducers, Tail Skin Grease (TSG) lines and backup pumps to manage soil pressures. Precast concrete segments of M50 grade and 275 mm thickness are being used to create tunnels with a finished internal diameter of 5.8 metres. Construction firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is executing the 2.65-km underground section from Kidderpore to Park Street. The first TBM drive—from St Thomas' School to Victoria—is 1.7 km long. The second leg, from Victoria to Park Street, will cover 950 metre. The final underground station of the corridor is likely to be located near Eden Gardens' Gate No 1, adjacent to the Mohun Bagan football ground. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
West Bengal: Don't need Purple Line station at Kidderpore, state govt tells Metro
KOLKATA: The state govt has formally communicated to Metro Railway that it is unable to part with land at Bodyguard Lines to make way for the Purple Line's Kidderpore metro station. At the project monitoring group (PMG) meeting last month, the state govt said: 'The approval for this land is pending at the policy level. The user agency may consider making the line without the Khidderpore station, after consulting ministry of railways.' The state chief secretary and other senior bureaucrats, along with RVNL, the implementing agency of the Joka-Esplanade (Purple) line, attended the May 9 PMG meeting at Nabanna. The state's views are recorded in the minutes of the meeting. Following this, the PMG recommended 'user agency (RVNL) to take up the issue of skipping the Kidderpore station with ministry of railways, also highlighting the pros and cons.' RVNL is now drawing up the Purple Line's alignment without Kidderpore station, exploring alternatives to save the 3.5 km Mominpore-Victoria Memorial section. If the in-between Kidderpore station is skipped, the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS), the autonomous body that gives the mandatory nod to revenue operations of a Metro line, will ask for a ventilation-cum-passenger evacuation shaft to be built halfway. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Keep Your Home Efficient with This Plug-In elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo For the sake of passenger safety, maximum distance allowed between two Metro stations is 1.5 km. Metro GM P Uday Kumar Reddy said on Saturday, 'It is now clear that the state is not interested in having us build a station at Kidderpore. Surveys have shown that the proposed station is expected to be used by 44,000 every day. It is the locals (of Kidderpore) who will be losing out on the metro connectivity. It is the city's loss.' The underground Kidderpore station would have been built below the arterial Diamond Harbour Road. Land measuring 837 sq m at Kolkata Armed Police's Alipore Bodyguard Lines would have been used for traffic diversion, shifting utilities, building accesses, etc., while DH Road is blocked for the station construction. The GM added that both Metro Railway and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) are trying their best to wriggle out of the situation, even as finding a solution would be 'very difficult'. Officials said without the Kidderpore metro station, the above facility should be located at the racecourse. But RCTC authorities are citing rules against any overground construction, given that the racecourse is also used for the landing of choppers ferrying VVIPs. The roadblock comes at a time when Metro Railway is focusing on the Purple Line's extension beyond Esplanade to Eden Gardens and from Joka to IIM-Calcutta. The Joka-Esplanade line now runs 7.7 km from Joka to Majerhat. The 8.8 km elevated Metro is supposed to duck 5 km underground beyond Mominpore with four stations dotting the stretch. Construction of three underground stations — Victoria, Park Street and Esplanade — has started along with the elevated Mominpore station.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Time of India
Kolkata's first Metro ring ready except for 366m stretch at Chingrighata
KOLKATA: Metro Railway is eager to ring the city with the Orange, Green and Blue lines, Metro GM P Uday Kumar Reddy said on Friday. He expressed hope that the Chingrighata impasse would end soon and the last 366m of the Orange line would be bridged to complete the ring, with three interchanges at Esplanade, New Garia and Salt Lake Sector V. A passenger travelling from Esplanade or further and heading south on the Blue Line can disembark at New Garia and switch to the Orange Line. While this line is currently operational till Ruby intersection, once the gap in the viaduct at Chingrighata is bridged, it will enable the passenger to travel to Sector V. There, the passenger can switch to the Green Line and travel back to Esplanade, once the small stretch between Sealdah and Esplanade is commissioned. Efforts are on to create another ring by linking the Purple Line from Joka to the Blue Line at Esplanade and Tollygunge. Later, commuters can avail of a larger ring when the Yellow Line from Noapara allows a Blue Line passenger from New Garia to travel to the airport. There, the passenger can switch to the Orange Line and travel back to New Garia. Reddy said the commissioning of the East-West Metro's last 2.6km leg between Sealdah and Esplanade is taking time because Metro is complying with the observations made by the commission of railway safety (CRS). The nodal authority for mandatory safety nod for any new Metro line in India cleared the Esplanade-Sealdah section on April 28 with observations on signalling, fire safety, and other systems. Once complete, the entire 16km East-West Metro - from Sector V to Howrah Maidan - will be operational. CRS may inspect the upcoming Airport line at the end of this month, the GM said at the inauguration of passenger amenities, like electronic lockers, at East-West Metro's Howrah station, and unveiling a massaging chair in the North-South Line's Esplanade station. Commuters will be able to hire these lockers to store luggage. The lockers will be available in other Metro stations soon. "Kolkata Metro is adding passenger facilities every day. The North-South Metro carries around 7 lakh passengers every day. When the entire East-West Metro is functional, the daily passenger count of North-South Metro will be more than 10 lakh," said Reddy. Asked about land hurdles at Chingrighata for Orange Line and Kidderpore for Purple Line, the GM said, "We are liaising with the state. Hope the sites are available soon. The people will benefit immensely when the Orange Line reaches Sector V, using the interface to switch to the Green Line." Girder-launching to bridge the last 366m of the Orange Line has been stuck at Chingrighata crossing since Feb 2. Implementing agency RVNL has sought two weekend nights to launch the last two spans of 28m and 34m over the crossing. The remaining 304m viaduct will pass through the eastern drainage channel and Sukantanagar, and no traffic block will be needed for girder-launching ab-ove these areas, officials said. RV-NL also needs land at Alipore Bodyguard Lines for the undergrou-nd Kidderpore station. Construction of the other three underground stations for Purple Line is on. Metro Railway is also trying to open the Yellow Line's Noapara-Airport section this year. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
