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
Real Estate

Anshul Singhal launches Vantrock with Rs 42 billion development plan

Real estate professional Anshul Singhal has launched Vantrock Real Assets Private Limited (VRAPL), a Mumbai-headquartered platform focused initially on warehousing, industrial and logistics parks. The company plans to develop approximately 11.5 million sq ft of assets, with an estimated gross development value (GDV) of Rs 42 billion (approximately USD 434 million) on completion.The first phase will cover around 3 million sq ft across the National Capital Region (NCR), Bengaluru and Pune, with an estimated development value of Rs 11 billion (approximately USD 113 million). Construction is sched..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Afcons wins CII award for biodiversity management

Afcons Infrastructure has received the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Award for Environmental Best Practices 2026 in the Biodiversity Management category for its work on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project’s C-2 package.The award was presented at a ceremony in Chennai on 9 October 2026. It was received by Mihir Mishra, Vice-President, CPE, and Sumon Paul, Assistant General Manager, HSE, along with the Afcons team.The project adopted several resource recovery and waste management practices. These included recycling concrete washout waste to recover sand, aggregates a..

Next Story
Technology

Indian businesses lead globally in planned AI investment, says Autodesk

Indian organisations are moving towards deeper integration of artificial intelligence (AI), digital technologies and sustainability into business operations, according to Autodesk’s 2026 State of Design & Make report. The fourth edition of the annual study highlights growing AI adoption, measurable outcomes from digital transformation and the role of sustainability in long-term business growth.The report found that 64 per cent of Indian organisations are approaching or have achieved their current AI goals. While 88 per cent believe AI will enhance their industry, up from 78 per cent in 2..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code