(Pics) D-Wall Construction Underway for Kolkata Metro’s Esplanade Stn
Here’s a picture-post on the ongoing diaphragm wall (D-wall) construction work taking place for the new underground Esplanade Station on Kolkata Metro’s 16.34 km Line-2.
Designed by RITES, the new station is being built underneath the Esplanade Tram Depot’s land, and in its first stage connect up with the existing Line-1’s Esplanade Station to allow easy transfers. In the future, an additional underground station box will be constructed here to serve as the northern terminal of the 15.75 km Joka – Esplanade line (Line-3), making it the city’s first 3-line interchange, and depending on its completion timeframe, perhaps India’s second after Delhi’s Kashmere Gate Station which just got connected with a 3rd line in May.
Ground work for its construction by ITD-ITD Cem JV was inaugurated in June 2017 by the then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. First a guide-wall was built around the site, which is now being followed by excavation, slurry cleaning, desanding, reinforcement cage lowering and finally the pouring of concrete – one panel at a time.
Location of Esplanade Station on Line-2 (shown in Blue) – view Kolkata Map & Information
Some images shot over the past 45 days –
Photo Copyright: Saritha
Photo Copyright: Saritha
Photo Copyright: Metro Rail Kolkata
Photo Copyright: Saritha
Photo Copyright: Saritha
Reinforced (rebar) cage getting picked up for lowering – Photo Copyright: Saritha
Getting lowered for a panel – Photo Copyright: Saritha
Photo Copyright: V Mondal
Here’s my go-to video to demonstrate how D-walls are built –
Once the diaphragm walls are ready and soil excavation is carried out in Q1 2018, the station shaft will become structurally ready to receive Afcons Infrastructure’s TBMs S-639 (Rachna) and S-640 (Prerna) on the west-side from Mahakaran Station, as well as allow ITD Cem’s TBMs S-615 and S-616 to be lowered and commissioned on the east-side for building the roughly 2.20 km Esplanade – Sealdah twin tunnels.
For more updates, check out the Kolkata section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Here is a video giving the full picture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCax6waC4bg
Nice!
While afcons &itd is making excellent progress the underground portion of the joka esplanade line starting from mominpore has still not been tendered by RVNL
what is the status of joka esplanade line. Is the work is going on or it has stopped due to some issues.
Construction is underway on the Joka – Mominpore section only. As Rupraj highlighted above, RVNL has not yet invited tenders for the Mominpore – Esplanade section’s construction.
Without that, Line-3 will function independently whenever it gets launched in the next 2-3 years.