Purple Line Tunnelling Reaches Kolkata Race Course
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

Purple Line Tunnelling Reaches Kolkata Race Course

Kolkata’s Purple Line metro project has reached a significant milestone, with tunnelling successfully progressing beneath the historic Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC), part of the iconic Kolkata Race Course established in 1847.

The heritage precinct, where Queen Elizabeth II presented the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 1961, has been closely monitored throughout construction to safeguard its historic structures. The first tunnel boring machine (TBM), named Durga, began excavating the Esplanade-bound tunnel on 10 July 2025 and reached the RCTC area by late November after covering around 600 metres.

Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, which is implementing the 14-kilometre Joka–Esplanade Purple Line, installed advanced sensors on the heritage stands to detect even minimal ground settlement during tunnelling works.

Durga, which is 100 metres long, weighs 600 tonnes and has an outer diameter of 6.6 metres, now has a clear alignment towards the Victoria Memorial station. From there, it will continue tunnelling for about 900 metres up to Park Street.

The second TBM, Divya, which is excavating the parallel tunnel, has already reached Tolly’s Nullah and is expected to pass beneath the RCTC next month. Together, the two machines will complete around 1.7 kilometres of tunnelling between Kidderpore and Park Street.

Both TBMs were launched from a shaft at St Thomas’ Boys’ School in Kidderpore, measuring 37 metres in length, 22 metres in width and 17 metres in depth.

The Purple Line currently operates on an 8-kilometre elevated stretch between Joka and Majerhat. Once the underground section between Kidderpore and Park Street is completed, it is expected to significantly improve connectivity across central Kolkata while ensuring the preservation of the city’s historic landmarks.

Kolkata’s Purple Line metro project has reached a significant milestone, with tunnelling successfully progressing beneath the historic Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC), part of the iconic Kolkata Race Course established in 1847. The heritage precinct, where Queen Elizabeth II presented the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 1961, has been closely monitored throughout construction to safeguard its historic structures. The first tunnel boring machine (TBM), named Durga, began excavating the Esplanade-bound tunnel on 10 July 2025 and reached the RCTC area by late November after covering around 600 metres. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, which is implementing the 14-kilometre Joka–Esplanade Purple Line, installed advanced sensors on the heritage stands to detect even minimal ground settlement during tunnelling works. Durga, which is 100 metres long, weighs 600 tonnes and has an outer diameter of 6.6 metres, now has a clear alignment towards the Victoria Memorial station. From there, it will continue tunnelling for about 900 metres up to Park Street. The second TBM, Divya, which is excavating the parallel tunnel, has already reached Tolly’s Nullah and is expected to pass beneath the RCTC next month. Together, the two machines will complete around 1.7 kilometres of tunnelling between Kidderpore and Park Street. Both TBMs were launched from a shaft at St Thomas’ Boys’ School in Kidderpore, measuring 37 metres in length, 22 metres in width and 17 metres in depth. The Purple Line currently operates on an 8-kilometre elevated stretch between Joka and Majerhat. Once the underground section between Kidderpore and Park Street is completed, it is expected to significantly improve connectivity across central Kolkata while ensuring the preservation of the city’s historic landmarks.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Products

Koemmerling opens Navi Mumbai experience centre

Koemmerling, a brand of the profine Group, has expanded its presence in the Mumbai metropolitan region with the opening of a new experience centre in Navi Mumbai and launched its Allure S46 minimal sliding door system for the Indian market.Located in CBD Belapur, the facility was inaugurated by Peter Mrosik, Owner and CEO, profine Group, along with Farid Khan, Chairman and Managing Director, profine India, and Kamal Bajaj, CEO, profine India.The company said the new centre will showcase its portfolio of uPVC and aluminium window and door systems to architects, developers and homeowners.The ina..

Next Story
Products

India's waterproofing market nears Rs 150 bn milestone

India's waterproofing industry is approaching a market size of Rs 150 billion and is expected to surpass the $2 billion milestone, according to speakers at the 2nd India International Waterproofers Conference & Expo 2026 organised by the Waterproofers Association of India (WAI) in New Delhi.The two-day event brought together more than 20 speakers, 55 international delegates and 53 exhibition booths, with discussions focusing on climate-resilient construction, advanced waterproofing technologies and international collaboration.Inaugurating the event, Durga Shanker Mishra, former Secretary, ..

Next Story
Real Estate

Dilip Buildcon Q1 FY27 Revenue at Rs 23.78 billion

Dilip Buildcon Limited reported consolidated revenue from operations of Rs 2,378 crore in Q1 FY27, along with EBITDA of Rs 429 crore and profit after tax of Rs 128 crore.Consolidated EBITDA margin stood at 18.1%, improving from 17.1% in Q4 FY26. On a standalone basis, revenue from operations was Rs 1,930 crore, EBITDA stood at Rs 199 crore and PAT was Rs 39 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 10.3%.The company’s order book stood at Rs 27,691 crore as of 30 June 2026, compared with Rs 28,830 crore as of 31 March 2026. Roads and highways accounted for 17.1% of the order book, irrigation and water ..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement