India to get a first-ever underwater train; all you need to know-
With the underwater train initiative, the train will cover a larger distance from Sector V to Howrah, under the Hooghly river, in just 27 minutes.
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New Delhi, July 16: India is set to witness its first-ever train that will be commuting under a river, with Kolkata’s futuristic metro to be the first train in India that will run under a river covering a distance of 16.34 km east-west corridor.
Out of entire length of the metro line, 10. 8 km is underground, but the crucial part is a 520-metre underwater tunnel. This is India’s version of Eurostar-trains between London & Paris that go through the channel tunnel.
The tunnels for the route were created in 2017 by Afcons - a construction company. “The river tunnels, an engineering marvel, are a first in India and a rare venture worldwide. They were completed in 67 days,” said, Satya Narayan Kunwar, project manager of Afcons.
Some of the major challenges during the construction process included water tightness, waterproofing and designing of gaskets.
An engineer as said, “Not a drop of water can enter the river tunnels. There are hydrophilic gaskets in between the concrete of the tunnels. If water comes inside the tunnels, the gaskets will open up.”
Another issue was safety during earthquakes in seismic zone 3, under which Kolkata falls. Therefore, the material used in the construction is such that it prevents any damage during quakes.
“Afcons deployed a highly experienced tunnel crew in case an entry was needed into the cutting chamber of the tunnel boring machine (TBM). In the remote possibility of water ingress, the TBMs would shut down like a submarine for safe evacuation. It took a lot of grit during execution. Unlike conventional tunnelling, river tunnelling cannot stop once it starts,” said the report.
The TBMs are equipped with leakage detection mechanisms and could dig through poor soil conditions.
“Once the East-West Metro link connects Kolkata and Howrah, it should cater to a million commuters by 2035,” a KMRC official said.
It is scheduled to start its journey in early 2023. The train will reduce the travel time for commuters significantly. Currently, the Green Line in Kolkata covers a distance of 6.97 km between Sector V in east Kolkata, and Phoolbagan.
However, with this initiative, the train will cover a larger distance from Sector V to Howrah, under the Hooghly river, in just 27 minutes. The other attraction for the passengers will be twin tunnels down the width of the river. For half a kilometre, the travellers will zip through below the water in less than a minute, giving them a one-of-a-kind experience.
Out of entire length of the metro line, 10. 8 km is underground, but the crucial part is a 520-metre underwater tunnel. This is India’s version of Eurostar-trains between London & Paris that go through the channel tunnel.
The tunnels for the route were created in 2017 by Afcons - a construction company. “The river tunnels, an engineering marvel, are a first in India and a rare venture worldwide. They were completed in 67 days,” said, Satya Narayan Kunwar, project manager of Afcons.
The project did face time & cost overruns due to overflowing water. “But all that is behind us now. Residents of both Kolkata and Howrah are set to cruise in a Metro that will have trains chugging out of platforms every two-and-a-half minutes. In India, there are not even roads under a river,” said NC Karmali, the project director of Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation.
An engineer as said, “Not a drop of water can enter the river tunnels. There are hydrophilic gaskets in between the concrete of the tunnels. If water comes inside the tunnels, the gaskets will open up.”
Another issue was safety during earthquakes in seismic zone 3, under which Kolkata falls. Therefore, the material used in the construction is such that it prevents any damage during quakes.
“Afcons deployed a highly experienced tunnel crew in case an entry was needed into the cutting chamber of the tunnel boring machine (TBM). In the remote possibility of water ingress, the TBMs would shut down like a submarine for safe evacuation. It took a lot of grit during execution. Unlike conventional tunnelling, river tunnelling cannot stop once it starts,” said the report.
The TBMs are equipped with leakage detection mechanisms and could dig through poor soil conditions.
“Once the East-West Metro link connects Kolkata and Howrah, it should cater to a million commuters by 2035,” a KMRC official said.