Herrenknecht completes Factory Acceptance Tests for TBM S-1410A for Kolkata Metro Line 3

Kolkata, India (Metro Rail Today): Herrenknecht AG, the renowned tunnel boring machine (TBM) manufacturer based in Alinjivakkam, Tamil Nadu, has successfully completed the factory acceptance tests (FAT) for the Ø6.6-meter Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machine, TBM S-1410A, which will be deployed on Kolkata Metro’s 15.215 km Line-3 (Purple Line) project. This line will connect Joka to Esplanade via 12 stations, significantly improving connectivity in the city.

TBM S-1410A, alongside another TBM (S-1411A), will be used by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to construct twin tunnels for the underground section of Line-3’s Package UG1, which spans 5.05 km from Mominpur to Esplanade. The section will include four underground stations: Kidderpore, Victoria Memorial, Park Street, and Esplanade. At Esplanade, once completed, Line-3 will create Kolkata’s first-ever interchange station, connecting the Purple Line with Line-1 (Blue Line) and Line-2 (Green Line), significantly enhancing the city's metro network.

Contract Awarded to L&T by RVNL

In June 2023, L&T won the Rs. 2,447 crore civil construction contract for Package UG1 from Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), after being selected as the lowest bidder. The project has been overseen by the Yuksel Proje – Tumas JV, appointed as the General Consultant (GC) by RVNL since 2021.

The northern 500 meters of the section, between Esplanade and Park Street, will be built using the cut and cover method. Work for the 5.05 km stretch officially began in May 2024, starting from the Victoria Memorial Station site in Maidan. Additionally, L&T began casting tunnel ring segments in July 2024 at the Sarkarpool neighborhood of Maheshtala near Majerhat Station, with an estimated 4,000 segments required to construct the twin tunnels.

Tunneling to Begin in 2025

Both TBMs will be launched from a TBM shaft at St. Thomas School in the Kidderpore area and will tunnel northward toward Victoria Memorial. The tunneling process is expected to begin no sooner than the third quarter of 2025, with the underground section slated for completion and commercial operations anticipated no earlier than 2029.