India's First Underwater Metro Tunnel to be Ready in 2023

The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRCL) is building the Kolkata East-West Metro line, which is an underwater tunnel that will run beneath the Hooghly River. The construction of India's first underwater tunnel beneath the Hooghly River in Kolkata for metro connectivity between Howrah and Kolkata is currently underway and will be completed by 2023.

520 metres of the 16.6-kilometer-long east-west stretch will be under the river bed. The tunnel corridor will connect Kolkata and Howrah and is 33 metres below the riverbed.

The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRCL) is building the Kolkata East-West Metro line, which is an underwater tunnel that will run beneath the Hooghly River.

Speaking about the project's facilities and safety measures, Mithun Ghosh, the Site Supervisor, stated that there will be walkways in the tunnels for passenger evacuation in the event of an emergency.

"Important Passage work has also been completed with the intention that if a technical problem arises inside the water tunnel area, passengers can be taken out through the special passage," Mithun explained.

He also stated that nearly 80% of the work on the East-West Howrah Metro station has been completed and that full-fledged service is expected to begin in 2023.

"The station is being built at a depth of 33 metres beneath the Hooghly River. Eighty percent of the work has been completed, with the remaining twenty percent unfinished. It will be operational by 2023," Ghosh continued.

It was previously reported that the Kolkata Metro East-West line would connect the Howrah metro station and the Mahakaran metro station. Passengers travelling between these two metro stations will spend nearly one minute underground.

The Kolkata Metro train is said to travel at an average speed of 80 kilometres per hour. Passengers will have a one-of-a-kind travel experience thanks to the upcoming underwater tunnel of the Kolkata Metro rail network.