Kolkata Metro has achieved a significant milestone with the successful breakthrough of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ‘Durga’ on the Purple Line. This achievement marks the completion of a crucial underground tunnel section between Khidderpore and Victoria under the Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor.
The milestone achieved yesterday marks a significant step towards expanding Kolkata’s metro network. It will help strengthen the city’s urban public transport system and bring one of Kolkata’s most crucial metro infrastructure projects closer to completion.
Key Highlights:
- TBM ‘Durga’ successfully achieved a breakthrough at Victoria Metro Station.
- The breakthrough marks the completion of the underground tunnel connecting Khidderpore and Victoria, with tunnelling work having begun on 10 July 2025.
- The Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor will significantly improve connectivity across Kolkata by providing a convenient link between the city’s southern areas and the central business district.
- This corridor is expected to provide faster, safer, and more sustainable public transport, while also reducing travel time and traffic congestion across the city.
The success of TBM ‘Durga’ is yet another achievement in the series of significant milestones reached by the Kolkata Metro over the past 50 days.
During his visit to Kolkata, Union Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the progress of metro expansion projects. He traveled by metro from ‘Jai Hind Airport’ station to ‘Noapara’ station, interacted with passengers to understand their travel experience and gather their views on metro services, and also met with metro staff.
The Minister visited the Chingrighata project site to inspect the recently completed viaduct work and commended the pace of construction. He announced that approximately 60 new-generation metro trains would be inducted over the next 4–5 years and noted that a 45-kilometer metro network has been added in and around Kolkata since 2014, whereas the network spanned 28 kilometers prior to that year.
(PIB)
