Latest news with #MetroRailway
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Metro rider defacing rake caught on CCTV
Kolkata: Metro Railway obtained CCTV footage showing an individual vandalising the closed doors of a moving Blue Line Metro train using spray paint on June 27. "We came across it during retrospective CCTV footage analysis. The man was travelling on rake MR-409. We will inform cops. Damaging Metro property is a punishable offence," a Metro official said. The video captures the individual, who had a backpack and was seated near the rear of a carriage, approaching the doors, retrieving black spray paint and making cross patterns on the doors' surface. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Metro authorities confirmed it was an Up train. "It is still not clear whether the train was Dakshineswar- or Dum Dum-bound," the Metro official said. The same spray paint was reportedly used to deface a wall at a Garia complex where anti-national slogans, like "Azad Kashmir", was spray painted. Cops confirmed the match through forensic analysis on Thursday.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Suicide bid at Central stn stalls Metro services for 1 hour
Kolkata: Metro services on the North-South (Blue) line were disrupted for an hour on Saturday following a suicide bid at Central station. Though truncated services were operated, several commuters were hassled as no trains were available in the Maidan-Girish Park section until 12.55 pm. Around 11.55 am, a man jumped before a Dakshineswar-bound train at the Central station, a Metro Railway spokesperson said. The third rail, which supplies electricity to the rakes, was switched off to rescue the man from the tracks and give him medical aid. "Truncated services were run between Maidan and New Garia (Kavi Subhas) stations and between Girish Park and Dakshineswar stations for an hour," the Metro official said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Cops from Bowbazar PS were called in. The man reportedly survived. Normal services on the entire New Garia-Dakshineswar stretch resumed from 12.55 pm. Even as the rush hour was just ending and it was a Saturday, several commuters were inconvenienced with no services being provided from either the northern or the southern terminals to the central business district. "As trains were going up to Maidan, I decided to avail the Metro and take a bus to my workplace at Chandni Chowk. Fortunately, I managed to board a crowded bus even as I was late for work by an hour," Abhirup Das, an executive, said. tnn
Time of India
10-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
‘Durga' starts working under Purple Line of Kolkata Metro
Kolkata: There are 72 days still left for Mahalaya but Durga has started her journey — not from the heavens, rather beneath the earth. It is not the deity but the tunnel boring machine S1410 — used for the Purple Line metro works — nicknamed 'Durga. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now ' The tunnelling for the 5 km Mominpur-Esplanade section of the Purple Line began on Thursday. The machine started burrowing at Kidderpore to build one of the twin underground tunnels. "This is a historic day for Kolkata. Tunnelling starts days after the state govt finally allowed Metro to use land at Alipore Bodyguard Lines for key Purple Line station construction at Kidderpore," Metro Railway general manager, P Uday Kumar Reddy said, after pressing a button for the giant machine to roll below the 236-year-old St Thomas' Boys' School at Kidderpore. Sibling TBM Divya (S1410A), being assembled inside the same 17 m-deep launching shaft, will start digging a month later to maintain a 150 m gap with Durga. The duo's first stop will be at the Victoria Memorial, across 1.7 km. The 95 m long borers will be relaunched from the Victoria Metro station box for another 950 m of tunnelling to Park Street, beyond which the 640 m stretch to Esplanade will be built using the cut-and-cover method (without TBMs). "Durga should reach Victoria by May 2026 and Park Street by Dec 2026," Vipin Kumar, chief project manager of the project implementing agency, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), said. Other RVNL officials, including executive director (ED) Amit Tandon, attended the Puja to mark the occasion. The Purple Line (14 km Joka-Esplanade corridor) now runs on an elevated 8 km Joka-Majerhat stretch. It will duck underground near Ekbalpore, not far from the last elevated station at Mominpore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now TOI reported on Mar 9 that mammoth 650-tonne tunnel boring machine had completed 1,600-km journey from Tamil Nadu to Kolkata. Guided by superior technology, the earth pressure balance (EPB) machines can dig through rock, soil or sand to build tunnels with precast segment rings. Traditionally, TBMs are given feminine names from the time when Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners, would be invoked to save those working with explosives for underground construction in the 16th century. "In the land of Maa Durga, it only seemed appropriate to christen a TBM after the deity. The twin TBM is called Divya, which, in Sanskrit, stands for divine," an official explained. The TBMs were assembled in Herrenknecht's Alinjivakkam unit in Tamil Nadu. "Durga, with a 6.6 m outer diameter arrived in March and was subsequently lowered in the St Thomas' launching shaft," Kumar said. Extra precautions are being taken to ensure the TBMs dig safely, taking note of the East-West Metro tunnelling fiasco in Bowbazar, the Metro GM said. On the Orange line's Chingrighata hurdle, he said, "The railway minister recently requested the state govt to take the project forward. The cost is soaring. It's the taxpayers' money."
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Kolkata Metro Purple Line: Tunnelling work from Kidderpore to Park Street begins
Tunnelling work on Kolkata Metro's Purple Line from Kidderpore to Victoria began Thursday, with the launch of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) named 'Divya'. Metro Railway officials said the machine will tunnel up to Victoria in the first phase, covering 1.7 km, and is expected to break through by May 2026. The entire underground stretch to Park Street is targeted for completion by the end of 2026. The launch shaft—measuring 37 metre in length, 22 metre in width, and 17 metre in depth—has been constructed within the premises of St Thomas' School, Khidderpore. Two TBMs, 'Durga' and 'Divya', are being deployed to construct the twin tunnels between Khidderpore and Park Street. Beyond Park Street, the final stretch up to Esplanade will be built using the cut-and-cover method. Durga's tunnelling was formally flagged off by Metro Railway General Manager Uday Kumar Reddy at the school premises, in the presence of the Consul General of Nepal and senior officials from Metro Railway, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the Defence Authority, CMRI Hospital, WBTC and St Thomas' School. 'It is a historic day for the people of Kolkata as the Tunnel Boring Machine has started off. It is a very important and joyous occasion for the city,' Reddy said. The Purple Line, also known as Line 3 of Kolkata Metro, is a 15.08-km corridor that will connect Joka in South Kolkata to Esplanade in the city centre, with a proposed extension to Diamond Park. A portion of the corridor, from Joka to Taratala, is already operational, while the extension to Majerhat has been completed. The line will intersect the Blue Line at Park Street and Esplanade, and the Green Line at Esplanade. It will include a mix of elevated and underground stations, serving locations such as Joka, Taratala, Majerhat, Mominpur, Khidderpore, Victoria, Park Street and Esplanade. Of the total stretch, eight stations are elevated and four are underground. The TBMs, each 95 metre long and weighing around 600 tonne, were assembled in Chennai and brought to Kolkata in March this year for final assembly and lowering. They are Earth Pressure Balancing (EPB) type machines, designed to tackle Kolkata's high groundwater table and soft soil conditions. Metro officials said the machines are equipped with inflatable seals, pressure transducers, Tail Skin Grease (TSG) lines and backup pumps to manage soil pressures. Precast concrete segments of M50 grade and 275 mm thickness are being used to create tunnels with a finished internal diameter of 5.8 metres. Construction firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is executing the 2.65-km underground section from Kidderpore to Park Street. The first TBM drive—from St Thomas' School to Victoria—is 1.7 km long. The second leg, from Victoria to Park Street, will cover 950 metre. The final underground station of the corridor is likely to be located near Eden Gardens' Gate No 1, adjacent to the Mohun Bagan football ground. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
HC clears stretch under litigation for Kidderpore metro station
1 2 Kolkata: The Purple line overcame a major hurdle on Wednesday as a Calcutta High Court division bench dismissed the appeal of tenants of a DH Road property where the Nepal Consulate is supposed to be shifted, to make way for the metro corridor. The building has already been acquired by Metro Railway but the litigation prevented it from taking possession of the land. The high court has asked the petitioners to vacate the property within two weeks. The division bench comprising Justices Debanshu Basak and Prasenjit Biswas dismissed the appeal of tenants of City Properties on 1 National Library Avenue (on the DH Road-Ekbalpore crossing) so the building can now house the Nepal Consulate, located next door, to make way for the Purple line or the Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor. Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which is implementing the 14km metro line, needs the land where Nepal Consulate is currently located (7/1 DH Road) for utility diversion and widening of the western side of Diamond Harbour so that 60 metres of the 450m ramp can be built in this stretch. The Purple line now runs an elevated 7.7km from Joka to Majerhat. Work for the last elevated station at Mominpur has started. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata "We told the court that the tenants have already accepted the compensation and the property now belongs to RVNL," Sakya Sen, counsel for RVNL, told TOI. The issue dates back to 2022 when Metro Railway, which runs the city's rapid transit network, published land acquisition notices for the property owned by City Properties Pvt Ltd at 1 National Library Avenue. "The owner of City Properties claimed his compensation and the premise was handed over to metro in Nov 2024," Sen said. "The property had several tenants running their businesses in the premises. Three tenants with five shops or tenancy spaces filed a writ petition before Calcutta High Court. The writ petition was dismissed by Justice Aniruddha Roy on Dec 17, 2024, directing the petitioners to vacate the land within six weeks and claim compensation from Metro Railway in accordance with law," Sen said. The petitioners then moved the division bench for a stay. The appeal petition was heard on Tuesday and Wednesday before Justices Debangsu Basak and Prasenjit Biswas. "The high court bench dismissed the appeal stating that tenants cannot object to the land acquisition as the land owner has agreed for acquisition and handed over the land to Metro Railway, which can vacate the premises with police assistance," the counsel said.
