The East-West Metro corridor is perhaps one of India’s most historic infrastructure projects; a major milestone has just been achieved. Under the ground, the Bowbazar-bound tunnel of this 16 km-long metro line has now been finished. This massive Rs 10,000-crore effort is scheduled for completion by mid-2025, once it will totally change the face of transport in this city.
The East-West Metro Project: A Landmark Development
This will mark a landmark achievement for the city of Kolkata as this will be the first metro system under river, connecting the city from Howrah to Sector V. It would help in filling major gaps of the public transport system for the city, and at the same time, mitigate traffic congestion and enhance connectivity.
This step marks a significant stride towards achieving the westbound tunnel’s goal. Stretching from Howrah Maidan to Sector V, this tunnel faced various setbacks while being built. The biggest setback it received occurred at Bowbazar, but the engineers and workers could overcome the six-meter span which was hindered due to various technical malfunctions in the past.
Challenges Experienced During Building
The westbound tunnel construction journey had not been smooth sailing after all. There was a significant delay on 31 August 2019. On this date, the boring machine struck a sand aquifer beneath Durga Pituri Lane at Bowbazar. This had triggered considerable subsidence in this area of the locality and a few building collapses that made some 750 residents homeless. The same TBM suffered damage due to which the same machine was also declared unusable. Subsidence at various places, in addition, caused water leakage along the Sealdah- Esplanade section, creating more difficulties.
However, the work continued and the TBM did its critical U-turn from Sealdah to Bowbazar and completed the rest of the tunneling work. A shaft was constructed at Durga Pituri Lane for recovering the damaged TBM, and after the successful recovery, the construction team started working to fill up the gaps by cut-and-cover method. The last six meters of the westbound tunnel mark the end of the most critical challenges that the project has encountered.
East-West Metro Tunnel Progress
Track-laying for the westbound tunnel had started by October 27, 2023, which means that it is now closer to the final stage. Along with this track-laying process, the tunnel is being rectified where the rings were damaged due to subsidence in 2019. The eastbound tunnel is under retrofitting, where steel liners are being installed into the already ovalised tunnel rings. After this, permanent ballast-less tracks will be laid on the track to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the metro system.
Notably, officials have made some notable progress toward the construction of a passenger evacuation shaft at the Durga Pituri Lane site. This would be a safety feature that, in case of emergencies, passengers would evacuate to a safe place. Out of the total of 13 planned flights for the shaft, 10 have already been constructed.
Completion Timeline and Future Influence
The East-West Metro is scheduled to be inaugurated by mid-2025 between Howrah Maidan and Sector V. The 16-km long metro will be divided into two separate stretches: 4.8 km from Howrah Maidan to Esplanade and then from Sealdah to Sector V over 9.2 km. The present metro runs through these two disjointed parts, and the west-bound tunnel finishing soon will make a non-stop journey from Howrah Maidan to Sector V.
Once the metro corridor will complete, it will reduce traffic congestions in Kolkata. The under-river metro would definitely enhance connectivity between the east end and the west end for the commuters and commercial establishment. In addition to time benefits, the East West metro will also offer sustainable substitutes to the city’s congested road networks.
Conclusion: A step forward towards modern Kolkata
Among all the milestones, completing the westbound tunnel marks an important step in the final step of East-West Metro Kolkata to seal off past challenges with stepping forward to one of the city’s most ambitious infrastructure initiates. Being ready to transform the experience and way of commuting into Kolkata as the project nears its 2025 target date, the East-West Metro is ready to assume its new role in linking transportation across the city.
The East-West Metro will benefit the development of Kolkata by offering greater urban mobility. It will grow the economic potential of the city as well as facilitate sustainable growth. The fact that a project, despite facing setbacks along the way, has indeed come to completion is only testimony to the strength and intent of the engineering teams at work day and night behind the making of this vision become a reality.
Refer :
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