Kolkata East-West Metro: tunnel under the Hooghly
India's first transport tunnel under a river: the Green Line of Kolkata Metro runs beneath the Hooghly between Howrah and Esplanade.
Project at a glance
| Location | Howrah Maidan to Esplanade, Kolkata, West Bengal |
|---|---|
| Owner / agency | Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (Ministry of Railways) |
| Completed / opened | 2024 |
| Sector | Metro and rail |
| Under-river stretch | 520 m |
| Time to tunnel under the river | 66 days |
Construction technology used
Construction details will be added once each one is confirmed by two official sources.
Key facts
- Inaugurated on 6 March 2024.
- Howrah station on this stretch is one of the deepest metro stations in India.
Learn the engineering behind it
- Tunnel boring machines · Tunnel Engineering
- Tunnel lining design · Tunnel Engineering
- Settlement above tunnels · Tunnel Engineering
- Mechanised tunnelling and bridge launching · Construction Methods and Equipment
Watch on YouTube
Sources
Facts on this page are taken only from official or authoritative sources (owner agencies, government releases, designers and contractors) and written in our own words. A figure is shown only when we could confirm it from at least two of the sources below; anything we could not confirm is left out. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Author: Indiacon. Last reviewed 24 Oct 2026. Educational summary; not an official project document.