On March 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised to inaugurate a groundbreaking transportation milestone – India’s first underwater metro tunnel in Kolkata, West Bengal. This technological marvel is an integral component of the Kolkata Metro extension project, linking Salt Lake to Howrah through Kolkata and delving beneath the Hooghly river.
Constructed collaboratively by Afcons, a leading construction company, and the Russian firm Transtonnelstroy, this underwater tunnel is positioned 26 meters below the river’s surface. Remarkably, the metro trains will operate 16 meters beneath the riverbed, showcasing an engineering feat.
Spanning a total length of 10.8 kilometers underground and an additional 5.75 kilometers on an elevated viaduct, this ambitious project aims to alleviate Kolkata’s persistent traffic congestion. The tunnel is a key segment of the East-West Metro corridor and represents India’s first-ever transportation initiative where a metro train navigates beneath a river.
The construction process, initiated in April 2017 by Afcons, witnessed the completion of the Hooghly tunnels in July of the same year. Despite its groundbreaking nature, the project encountered delays, attributed in part to accidents during tunneling work in Bowbazar, central Kolkata.
This initiative holds great promise for Kolkata’s transportation landscape, offering not only connectivity but also a solution to the city’s traffic woes. The inauguration by Prime Minister Modi marks a historic moment in India’s infrastructure development.
