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Purple Line (Kolkata Metro)

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Purple Line
Purple Line viaduct along the Diamond Harbour road
Overview
StatusPhase 1 - Operational
Phase 2 - Under Construction
OwnerIndian Railways
LocaleIndia Kolkata Metropolitan Region, India
Termini
Connecting linesBlue Line Green Line
Stations
  • Operational: 7
  • Under construction: 5
  • Approved: 2
WebsiteIndian Railways
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemKolkata Metro
Operator(s)Metro Railway, Kolkata
Depot(s)Joka Metro Depot
Rolling stockTwo ICF Medha rakes: MR418, MR419.
Daily ridership1050
History
Opened30 December 2022; 2 years ago (2022-12-30)
Last extension6 March 2024; 12 months ago (2024-03-06)
Technical
Line length18.38 km (11.42 mi)[1]
  • Operational: 7.75 km (4.82 mi)
  • Under construction: 7.33 km (4.55 mi)
  • Approved: 3.3 km (2.1 mi)
Number of tracks2
Characterelevated and underground
Track gauge5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge
Electrification750 V DC using third rail[2]
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph) (designed) 55 km/h (34 mph) (commercial)
SignallingCBTC signalling system
Route map

Legend
 Eden Gardens
Green Line
↙ to Howrah Maidan
to Teghoria ↗
Blue Line to Dakshineswar
 Esplanade
Park Street
Blue Line to Kavi Subhash
 Victoria
Tolly Canal
 Khidirpur
Mominpur
Majerhat
Taratala
Behala Bazar
Behala Chowrasta
Sakher Bazar
Thakurpukur
Joka
Joka depot
 IIM-Joka
Diamond Park

Purple Line is a rapid transit metro line of the Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. A 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) stretch from Joka to Taratala of this line was inaugurated on 30 December 2022[3][4] and after extended to Majerhat on 6 March 2024.[5] This line will span 18.38 kilometres (11.42 mi) from IIM-Joka in the south to Eden Gardens in the north.[6] It has interchange with Blue Line at Park Street in central Kolkata and run parallel with Blue Line up to Esplanade where it has an interchange with Green Line. It is being built by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited.

Background and History

[edit]
Joka to Mominpur (Elevated) Corridor, Mominpur to Esplanade (Underground) Corridor

Previously, the stretch from Thakurpukur to Majerhat was surveyed as a branch line of the circular railway, and a metro line from Majerhat to Dakshineswar via Sealdah (interchange with Green Line) was planned.[7] This plan was scrapped and a new metro line from further south in Joka to BBD Bagh was sanctioned in 2010–2011 with a total length of 17.22 km (10.70 mi) at an anticipated cost of ₹2,619.02 crore (equivalent to ₹59 billion or US$670 million in 2023). Later the route was truncated to Esplanade. The corridor runs along Diamond Harbour Road, Khidirpur Road, and Jawaharlal Nehru Road, major arterial roads of Kolkata, and has passenger interchange facilities with the Blue Line and Green line at Esplanade and Blue line at Park street. The proposed Esplanade station will not be the same as that of the Blue Line but a different station that will also serve the Green Line. The line now has a new depot in Joka. Due to land acquisition problems[7] and objections from the Ministry of Defence, construction has been delayed several times since the beginning.[8] Defence Ministry objected that the elevated corridor would overlook the Eastern Command headquarters at Fort William, Ordinance Depot at Mominpore. The change in alignment from elevated to underground increased the construction cost of the stretch from ₹139 crore (equivalent to ₹164 crore or US$19 million in 2023) to ₹3,000 crore (equivalent to ₹35 billion or US$400 million in 2023).[9] The work resumed in several phases and new bids were invited by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) in April 2020.[10][11][12] It is India's first metro line to run on indigenous head hardened rails, manufactured by Jindal Steel & Power.[13] The extension of this line to IIM and Diamond Park for 2 km (1.2 mi) was sanctioned in the 2012–2013 Budget at a cost of ₹294.49 crore (equivalent to ₹555 crore or US$64 million in 2023). The work is being executed by RVNL.[14]

The Mominpur metro station was planned to be built across a 2500 sq. m area. However, the Ministry of Defence objected to the elevated structure, saying that it would overlook the Ordnance depot. This forced RVNL to stall the entire project, and RVNL almost dropped the station from the plan even though it alone would have a projected 20,000 passengers during peak hours. Underground Mominpur station was also not possible due to the sharp gradient from Taratala metro station.[15] After a series of discussions and consultations with the Ministry of Defence and Government of West Bengal in 2016, it was decided to shift the station around 1 km (0.62 mi) northward, near the Alipore Bodyguard Lines.[16] But, after a year Defence Ministry approved the Mominpur metro station in its original location as the change in alignment would have delayed the project and budget overrun. It will be the last elevated station of the corridor.[15][17] Now, the proposed underground Khidirpur metro station is planned at the Alipore Bodyguard Lines.[18] There were also hurdles regarding clearance for tunneling under defence lands.[16] In 2020, the Defence Ministry eased out the process as lease rent wasn't required anymore for tunneling as long the overground ownership of the land did not change.[9] On 30 December 2022 the Joka - Taratala section and on 6 March 2024, the Taratala - Majerhat section was inaugurated remotely by Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, completing the 7.75 km Phase 1 stretch. On 12 January 2025, it was reported that Metro authorities decided to extend the line to Eden Gardens instead of Esplanade to facilitate commuters and connect Strand Road, BBD Bag and Calcutta High Court.[19] Subsequently, in March 2025 railways sanctioned ₹1,000 crore (equivalent to ₹19 billion or US$220 million in 2023) for the extension.[20]

Development

[edit]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Joka-Majerhat stretch of Purple Line of Kolkata Metro on December 30, 2022.

Around 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi) of the project will be elevated and the rest of 6.32 kilometres (3.93 mi) of the metro line will be underground.[4] The project is getting delayed due to nonavailability of land for the construction of train depot at Joka. In 2019, RVNL was given the land required for building the depot and the construction for its boundary wall and land development started in February 2019.[21] Tenders for its construction and plant & machinery were invited in April 2020.[22]

Construction was further delayed in September 2018 due to the Majerhat Bridge collapse, the metro was being built right next to the bridge.

Tender for Majherhat to Esplanade underground section has been floated in 1st week of December 2019.

By 15 September 2022, the stretch from Joka to Taratala has been fully constructed and electrification has been done. Testing trials are underway from Joka to Taratala using the old decommissioned Metro Rakes. Eventually in service there will be new air conditioned metro rakes. The stretch from Majerhat to Esplanade is under construction.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Joka-Taratala stretch, including Joka metro station of Kolkata Metro's Purple Line on 30 December 2022 in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Some students from schools especially St Thomas Boys School, whose premises are utilised for planned Khidirpur metro station in this stretch, were granted the rare opportunity to be the first ones to ride in this Joka-Taratala stretch after the inauguration.[23][24][25]

After lot of hardships and developmental work the Taratala–Majerhat section of Kolkata Metro Purple Line was inaugurated on 6 March 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the truncated sections of Esplanade–Howrah Maidan under Green Line and Kavi Subhash–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay under Orange Line.[26][27]

List of stations

[edit]
Main article: List of Kolkata metro stations

The work has been sanctioned in 2010-11 for the new Metro line from Joka to B.B.D. Bagh for a length of 16.72 km (10.39 mi) at an anticipated cost of Rs. 2619.02 Crores. But, later the route was shortened and planned to terminate at Esplanade. A separate Depot was built by RVNL in Joka. The tender has gone to Simplex Infrastructures. The extension of this line to IIM and Diamond Park for 2 km (1.2 mi) has been sanctioned in the Budget of 2012–13 at a cost of Rs. 294.49 Cr. Another extension from Esplanade to Eden Gardens has been sanctioned on March 2025 by Ministry of Railways at a cost of Rs. 1000 Cr. The execution of this work has been entrusted to RVNL.

There are 4 phases in this line-

  • Joka to Majherhat (Operational)
  • Majherhat to Esplanade (Under construction)
  • Diamond Park to Joka (planned).
  • Esplanade to Eden Gardens (planned).
Purple Line
No. Station Name Location Phase Opening Connections Layout Coordinates Notes
English Bengali
1 Diamond Park ডায়মন্ড পার্ক Joka 3B Proposed Vivekananda Mission School Bus Stop Elevated
2 IIM-Joka আইআইএম জোকা 3A Approved, but construction not started [28]
3 Joka জোকা Joka 1A Operational Joka bus Depot

Diamond Park Bus Stop

Elevated Also known as Diamond Park
4 Thakurpukur ঠাকুরপুকুর Thakurpukur

Thakurpukur Police Station Bus Stop

Thakurpukur Bazar Bus Stand

5 Sakher Bazar সখেরবাজার Behala

Thakurpukur Bus Depot

Silpara Bus Stop

Behala Sakherbazar Minibus Stand

Kadamtala Bus Stand

Also known as Silpara
6 Behala Chowrasta বেহালা চৌরাস্তা

Behala Chowrasta Bus Stand

7 Behala Bazar বেহালা বাজার

Behala Bazar Bus Stop

8 Taratala তারাতলা Taratala

Ajanta Cinema Bus Stop

Taratala Bus Stand

Also known as Pathakpara
9 Majerhat মাঝেরহাট Majerhat 1B Majerhat Station

DH Road Mint Bus Stop

Majherhat Gurudwara Bus Stop

10 Mominpur মোমিনপুর Mominpore 2A Under Construction Mominpore Bus Stop Elevated
11 Khidirpur খিদিরপুর Kidderpore 2B Khidderpore Bus Stop Underground
12 Victoria ভিক্টোরিয়া Maidan Victoria Memorial Bus Stop

PG Hospital Bus Stop

Birla Planetarium Bus Stop

Also known as Hastings
13 Park Street পার্ক স্ট্রিট Park Street Blue Line
• Park Street (U/C)
----
Park Street Bus Stop
14 Esplanade এসপ্ল্যানেড Esplanade Blue Line
• Esplanade
Green Line
• Esplanade
----

Esplanade Bus Terminus (WBTC,SBSTC,NBSTC)

Esplanade Tram Depot

International Bus Terminus. Also known as Dharmatala / Chowringhee
15 Eden Gardens ইডেন গার্ডেনস Babughat 4 Approved[29] Eden Gardens

Eden Gardens Bus Stop

Babughat Bus Stop

[edit]
  • ICF Medha rake MR 418 on the day of inauguration of Purple Line at Joka metro station
    ICF Medha rake MR 418 on the day of inauguration of Purple Line at Joka metro station
  • The day of inauguration of phase 1

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kolkata Metro Map".
  2. ^ "CAF to supply Kolkata metro trains". Railway Gazette. 9 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Kolkata Metro: First glimpse of Joka-Taratala route in pics". mint. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Bandyopadhyay, Krishnendu; Chakraborty, Ajanta (10 June 2019). "Kolkata: Work on fast track as East-West Metro eyes new links in next two years | Kolkata News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  5. ^ "PM Modi unveils multiple metro projects, including Kolkata underwater corridor". The Hindu. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Kolkata Metro Line 3".
  7. ^ a b NANDI, SOUMITRA (30 January 2020). "Inability to procure land for depot leaves RVNL unsure of Joka-BBD Bag Metro's 1st phase commencement". www.millenniumpost.in. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  8. ^ "580 crore sanctions to build Joka-BBD Bagh Metro depot – Rail Analysis India". 18 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  9. ^ a b Bandyopadhyay, Krishnendu (30 July 2020). "Kolkata: Defence nod makes journey of Joka Metro project easier". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  10. ^ B, Krishnendu (1 March 2019). "Work begins at Joka Metro depot, wall built". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  11. ^ Khare, Anushka (1 May 2020). "Bids invited for construction of Joka depot for Kolkata Metro Purple Line". Urban Transport News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  12. ^ "RVNL Invites Bids for Kolkata Metro Line-3's Joka Depot". The Metro Rail Guy. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  13. ^ Bandyopadhyay, Krishnendu (12 August 2020). "Kolkata: Joka-Esplanade to be India's first Metro to run on indigenous rails". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  14. ^ Chakraborty, Monotosh (10 July 2010). "Joka-Eplanade Metro on the anvil". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016.
  15. ^ a b Jayanta Gupta (18 February 2017). "Defence ministry clears decks for Mominpore metro station". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  16. ^ a b Byandhopadhyay, Krishnendu (17 April 2016). "Kolkata's Mominpore station jinx broken, Joka-BBD Bag Metro rises again". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  17. ^ "RVNL invites bids for consultancy services for Kolkata Metro extension". Urban Transport News. 19 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  18. ^ Chakraborty, Ajanta (14 December 2020). "Kolkata: Joka Metro skirts school bottleneck with route tweak". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  19. ^ Chakraborty, Ajanta (12 January 2025). "Kolkata metro plans to extend Joka-Esplanade Purple Line to Eden Gardens". Times of India. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
  20. ^ "Rlys sanctions 1k cr for Eden Gardens metro stn". The Times of India. 11 March 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  21. ^ Bandyopadhyay, Krishnendu (1 March 2019). "Work begins at Joka Metro depot, wall built | Kolkata News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  22. ^ "RVNL Invites Bids for Kolkata Metro Line-3's Joka Depot". The Metro Rail Guy. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Kolkata Metro: First glimpse of Joka-Taratala route in pics". www.livemint.com. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  24. ^ "In-pics: Inaugration of Vande Bharat Express, Joka-Taratala Metro & more news from Kolkata". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Another school demands Metro route tweak". The Times of India. 18 December 2020. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Hope for ops start of three new Metro links in March first week". The Times of India. 19 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  27. ^ MP, Team (10 October 2023). "RVNL targets completion of Majerhat to Esplanade Metro stretch within 48 months". www.millenniumpost.in. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Purple Line gets green signal for IIM-Joka stn". The Times of India. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  29. ^ "Rlys sanctions 1k cr for Eden Gardens metro stn". The Times of India. 11 March 2025.
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