Decks cleared for New Garia-Airport Metro line in Kolkata

The construction of the VIP Road of the New Garia-Airport Metro has received the green signal as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has agreed to hand over the Kolkata airport land, which will be used to divert traffic for the construction of the ramp leading to the underground station. Metro Railway has agreed to pay ₹64 crore to AAI and has already released half of the amount. Once the road is completed, PWD, which maintains VIP Road, will allow Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) to barricade the Kolkata-bound flank near Kaikhali crossing and initiate the construction work. RVNL has estimated that it will take two months to build the road for traffic diversion.

The Metro tracks will run underground on VIP Road to connect to the terminal Airport Metro station. The diaphragm walls for tunnelling through the cut-and-cover method to link the 32km New Garia-Airport corridor with the terminal Airport Metro station have already been started. Once the ramp is built, RVNL will restore the original VIP Road flank and then PWD will construct a flyover on the AAI land.

While most of the New Garia-Airport route comprises a viaduct over EM Bypass and New Town, an 800m underground section on VIP Road will link the overhead tracks with the Airport Metro station. The tracks will be six meters underground at VIP Road and will go deeper up to 13m at the Airport Metro station access.