Kolkata's East-West Metro Achieves Milestone with Successful Cross-Passage Test at Subodh Mullick Square

The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) has successfully completed a critical phase of the East-West Metro's construction by building the final cross-passage below Subodh Mullick Square without causing ground settlement or structural damage to the eight-storey building evacuated for safety last Monday. Officials believe that with continued grouting activities, the cross-passage work should be completed before the end of May, bringing the Esplanade-Sealdah section closer to completion.

An engineer involved in the project stated that the main micro-tunnelling work, with the help of temporary support structures, is complete. The process of concretizing the small tunnel rings has begun and is expected to conclude within three weeks.

On April 18, KMRC issued a notice urging all residents of premises at 1A Raja Subodh Mullick Square not to stay in their homes during the construction of cross-passage 5B, connecting the east and westbound tunnels under Nirmal Chunder Street, from 10 am on April 22, 2024, to 10 am on April 30, 2024, as a safety measure. Following the notice, water seepage was detected, prompting a temporary halt to the micro-tunnelling work.

The eight-storey building, located diagonally opposite Hind Inox on Ganesh Chandra Avenue, was deemed vulnerable due to its inadequate foundation. However, with the successful completion of the cross-passage work, residents are expected to return on Wednesday.

Cross-passages are crucial safety features in underground metro systems, allowing passengers to move between tunnels in emergencies such as fires. In the Esplanade-Sealdah section, KMRC had initially planned to construct eight cross-passages, but three were scrapped after subsidence issues arose on October 14, 2022.

With this milestone achieved, the KMRC is making significant progress toward completing the East-West Metro's Esplanade-Sealdah section, while ensuring the safety of structures and residents in the construction area.

TOI