Kolkata Metro alert: Dumdum-Tollygunge services to be suspended for tunnel repairs

Major repairs are starting on the Dumdum-Tollygunge metro tunnel after 40 years! As a result, there are fears that the Tollygunge-Dumdum metro service will be closed. From when? Details inside.

India's oldest metro tunnel—the north-south or Blue Line between Tollygunge and Dumdum—is now undergoing a "complete overhaul" or reconstruction after forty years.

A three- to four-year long project has been undertaken for this historic tunnel of Kolkata Metro Rail. Train services may be partially or completely suspended at various times during this work.

Metro Rail General Manager Uday Kumar Reddy said that consultant RITES has been given the responsibility of conducting a survey for the tunnel overhaul.

Everything from the civil structure to the track infrastructure is being evaluated in this survey. He said, “The survey is almost complete and we will get a detailed report very soon.”

Reddy also said that a separate survey is underway regarding passenger facilities such as installing lifts and escalators at old stations. Once the cost calculation is completed, the proposal will be sent to the Railway Board.

The tunnel was launched in 1995 and this 16.45 km long tunnel was built using the cut-and-cover method. The country's first metro was launched in Kolkata in 1984, and it has completed 40 years in 2024.

Only regular maintenance has been done in so many years, but no major repairs have been done at any time. So railway officials feel that this renovation is very important.

The metro authority is reporting that two major problems have occurred in the past—landslides from the tunnel walls and rapid wear of track fittings. According to Reddy, there will be no way but to suspend services for some time during this renovation.

Besides, the signaling system of the North-South line will also be upgraded. Currently the frequency of trains during peak hours is 6 minutes, it will be further reduced in the future to facilitate passenger movement.

Especially when Sealdah and Esplanade are connected in the East-West corridor, the crowd at Esplanade station will increase significantly.

This plan for Kolkata's ancient metro tunnel is not only about passenger safety, but also about creating a modern metro system capable of handling future pressure.