Bids for underground work in Kolkata Metro Line 3 submitted

Afcons Infrastructure, Larsen & Toubro, and ITD Cementation India all made bids for the UGI underground contract for the Kolkata Metro Purple Line. Between Mominpur and Esplanade, a 5.05-kilometer stretch is covered by the contract. In July 2022, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) asked for bids on this contract, which has an estimated value of Rs. 25.71 billion, with no set end date.

Kidderpore, Victoria, Park Street, and Esplanade will be the four underground stations on the final 15.215 km of Line-3 (Joka - Esplanade). The contractor for this project will require two brand-new tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and one standby TBM.

From chainage 9063.00m to 14113.00m, the Joka-Esplanade metro corridor in West Bengal, India, requires the design and construction of a 5.05-kilometer ramp and underground railway works. Four underground stations—Khidderpore, Victoria, Park Street, and Esplanade—as well as the construction of tunnels using tunnel boring machines and cut-and-cover techniques, architectural finishing, track work, and other related activities make up the scope of the project.

Technical evaluation of all three bids is currently underway and is anticipated to take several months. The qualified bidders' financial bids will be opened following the completion of the technical evaluation to identify the package's lowest bidder and most likely contractor.

In the second half of 2023, a contractor is expected to be assigned to this project, and construction on the tunneling portion is expected to begin in the middle of 2025. Nevertheless, this section probably won't be operational until 2028 due to delays in the tendering process. The recently completed 6.49 km Joka-Taratala elevated segment will operate as a standalone, unconnected line for a considerable amount of time due to this extended schedule.