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
Resources

Schindler named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026

Schindler has been named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers 2026, a global ranking recognising companies for their workplace environments.Compiled by Forbes in partnership with Statista, the ranking is based on independent employee feedback, including whether employees would recommend their organisation to friends and family.The company said the recognition reflected its focus on creating a workplace where employees can develop their expertise and build careers. ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

India needs an export-execution mindset: Vishesh Jain

Interview with Vishesh Jain, Founder & CEO, EximpleWhat gaps in India’s global trade ecosystem led you to build Eximple, and what problem did you see businesses struggling with most?Eximple came out of a problem that all three founders had seen from different choke points in the trade ecosystem. India has millions of MSMEs and manufacturers, and many of them can make products that are genuinely competitive on quality. Yet only a small fraction is able to build meaningful international businesses. In our experience, the gap is usually not manufacturing capability; it is the ability to exe..

Next Story
Building Material

Nuvoco reports 13.5% revenue growth in Q2 FY27

Nuvoco Vistas Corp. Ltd. reported consolidated revenue of Rs 27.9 billion for Q2 FY27, up 13.5% year on year. Cement sales volume rose 9% to 4.7 million tonnes (MMT), while EBITDA increased 11% to Rs 4.11 billion.The company said it began its cement operations in 2014 with a 2.3 MMT per annum (MMTPA) operation at Nimbol. It now aims to reach 35 MMTPA of cement capacity by FY28, nearly 15 times its initial capacity. Its portfolio spans cement, ready-mix concrete and modern building materials.On sustainability and cost efficiency, Nuvoco partnered with CleanMax for a 46.4 MW wind-solar hybrid re..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code