Kolkata Metro Achieves Milestone by Running thru Underwater Tunnel

Kolkata Metro has achieved a milestone by successfully running through a tunnel under the Hooghly river. The tunnel, which is part of the East West Metro Corridor, is 13 mtr below the riverbed and 33 mtr below ground level. It is the Indian equivalent of Eurostar’s London-Paris corridor and reportedly has four stations: Esplanade, Mahakaran, Howrah and Howrah Maidan. The 520-mtr tunnel is expected to take only 45 seconds to cross and will cut down travel time between Howrah and Sealdah from 1.5 hours by road to just 40 minutes.

The first run of the Metro rake was undertaken from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade, with only officials and engineers on board. Following this successful trial, Metro Railway General Manager Uday Kumar Reddy announced that trial runs between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade Station will continue for the next five to seven months, after which regular services will begin. However, the construction of the tunnel faced several challenges due to the very congested areas it passes through along Brabourne Road in the Burrabazar area.

During underground work, residents of several century-old houses had to be shifted to hotels. Additionally, underground water seepage caused cracks in 12 buildings at Madan Dutta Lane in Bowbazar last year. Despite these obstacles, the tunnel is expected to provide a much-needed solution to congestion at both ends of the Metro route. The East West Metro Corridor stretches from the IT hub of Salt Lake Sector-V in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west across the river. With the successful completion of this underwater tunnel, the Kolkata Metro has set a new standard for transportation infrastructure in India.