3 weeks ago
TBM Divya completes second Kidderpore-Victoria tunnel on Joka-Esplanade metro
Imagine a giant underground machine that digs long tubes under the ground for trains to travel through.
That machine is called a tunnel boring machine, and two of them are named Divya and Durga.
Machine Divya just finished digging its tunnel and arrived at Victoria station.
That means both underground tunnels between Kidderpore and Victoria are now complete.
The trains on this line, called the Purple Line, already run above ground between Joka and Majerhat.
Now the workers will dig more track towards Park Street, and the last part to Esplanade will be built in a big open pit.
The whole line is expected to be ready by 2029.
There is one problem: some shopkeepers near Esplanade do not want to move away, and their market is in the way.
Officials have asked them to shift to a temporary location by August 26.
If they do not, the station could be delayed even longer.
Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Divya broke through the wall of Victoria station, completing the second underground tunnel between Kidderpore and Victoria on the Joka-Esplanade Metro (Purple Line).
TBM Durga began boring the 1.75km Kidderpore-Victoria tunnel on July 10, 2025, while TBM Divya started digging its tunnel from Kidderpore on October 11, 2025.
The Purple Line currently operates on an 8km elevated stretch between Joka and Majerhat; Mominpore will be the last elevated station and Kidderpore the first underground station.
In the next phase, the TBMs will build the 900m link between Victoria and Park Street, and the remaining stretch to Esplanade will be constructed using the cut-and-cover method.
The full Joka-Esplanade corridor is expected to be operational by 2029, but the deadline depends on Esplanade station, stalled by traders' refusal to vacate Maidan Market.
- Who
- Metro Railway and RVNL, the implementing agency, led by general manager Prem Sagar Gupta; machines TBM Divya and TBM Durga.
- What
- Completion of the second underground tunnel between Kidderpore and Victoria stations on the Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor (Purple Line).
- Where
- Kolkata (Calcutta), India — between Kidderpore and Victoria Metro stations.
- When
- Reported this week; the article gives conflicting days, saying the work was completed on a Tuesday while Divya reached Victoria on a Friday, with the breakthrough around noon.
- Why
- To advance the long-delayed Joka-Esplanade Metro project, whose full corridor is targeted to open by 2029.
Maidan Market traders
Metro authorities
Maidan Market eviction for Esplanade station
Maidan Market traders
Traders have refused to vacate Maidan Market, which has stalled Esplanade station construction for years.
Metro authorities
Authorities need the site for the station; on July 30 they served an ultimatum to shift to a temporary location by August 26.
Key facts
- Project
- Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor (Purple Line), Calcutta
- Milestone
- Second Kidderpore-Victoria tunnel completed (TBM Divya breakthrough)
- Tunnel length
- 1.75 km per tunnel (Kidderpore to Victoria)
- TBM start dates
- Durga: July 10, 2025; Divya: October 11, 2025
- TBM specifications
- 6.60m diameter; manufactured in Chennai, transported to Calcutta in March 2025
- Launching shaft
- 37m long, 22m wide, 17m deep; inside St Thomas' School, Kidderpore
- Current operations
- 8km elevated stretch between Joka and Majerhat
- Target completion
- 2029 (dependent on Esplanade station construction)
Quotes
Prem Sagar Gupta
General Manager, Metro Railway
“"This is a testimony to the engineering excellence, meticulous planning, teamwork and dedicated efforts of all stakeholders associated with the project,"”
telegraphindia.com
RVNL official
Representative of the implementing agency, RVNL
“"We have completed the stretch under difficult ground conditions. We had to pass under heritage buildings and took due care through building condition surveys and regular monitoring of vibration and noise levels,"”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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