RVNL pushes ₹2,680-cr Joka-Esplanade Underground Corridor

Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which has been assigned the underground section of the Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor, has started work including the mapping of underground utilities and labelling public utility mains that are crucial for building the 14.35km metro link in Kolkata. The British-era brick sewer at Mominpore, CESC cables and other lines for telecommunication, water mains, and waste-water pipes will be shifted accordingly and the coast freed for the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to burrow and build twin tunnels through the alignment. The GPR method uses radar pulses to detect the utilities. RVNL informed that the process has been started and will carry on for 10 days from Mominpore to Esplanade. The utility mapping involves reviewing existing records identifying the type and location of the underground infrastructure. Stumbling over an underground feature during construction can have serious consequences for the project. The Joka-Esplanade link got a boost last year when the railway ministry approved additional funds for building the underground tracks. With the revised ₹2,685 crore allocated for the underground section, RVNL also started the process of land acquisition for it. RVNL has split the project into two phases wherein the first phase is elevated -- from Joka till Majerhat and the second phase covers surface stretch starting from Majerhat to Esplanade.