The railways need a slice of land — measuring 837sq m — inside the police lines in Alipore to build the Kidderpore station, projected to be one of the busiest in the upcoming Joka-Esplanade Metro corridor (Purple Line).

Railway officials said the station's construction had not started because the state government has yet to permit work inside the Kolkata Armed Police compound at Bodyguard Lines in Alipore.

The proposed Kidderpore station, to be an underground one, will be built under Diamond Harbour Road. The Bodyguard Lines area will be needed to build ventilation shafts and entry and exit structures, shift utilities, and for traffic diversions, said sources in the RVNL, the implementing agency of the corridor.

"We have had multiple discussions with the state government and police. Several homes on the land we seek are in a dilapidated state. We have promised to rebuild the homes. But the sanction to start working inside Bodyguard Lines is still awaited," said a senior Metro official.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday (March 17), Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw sought the state government's support in several railway projects in Bengal. He mentioned the Kidderpore station.

"Kidderpore station, in the Bhowanipore constituency, only requires land from the West Bengal government, which would allow the work to be completed quickly," the minister said.

A senior representative of the Bengal government told The Telegraph on Tuesday: “The government is going through the details. It is under consideration.”

The 14km Joka-Esplanade corridor, delayed for years because of land issues, has picked up speed. The corridor is now functional on an 8km elevated stretch between Joka and Majerhat. The next stop, Mominpore, will be the last elevated station and Kidderpore the first underground station, said officials.

Large tracts of the Maidan and adjoining areas have been cordoned off for construction. Century-old clubs have been relocated.

In November last year, the Union defence ministry approved the relocation of B.C. Roy Market, making way for the Esplanade station.

A detailed project report (DPR), done by RITES, a government-owned infrastructure consultancy, had estimated more than 44,000 passengers at the Kidderpore station every day by 2035, assuming the entire Purple Line became operational.

"It is estimated to be one of the busiest in the corridor. People living in Kidderpore, Metiabruz, Garden Reach and adjoining areas will benefit from the Kidderpore station. If the station does not come up, the viability of the much-anticipated corridor will be seriously jeopardised," said a railway official.

The RVNL was awarded the contract for Kidderpore, Victoria, Park Street and Esplanade stations in September 2023.

"Work is underway in full swing between Majherhat and Mominpore and between Kidderpore and Esplanade. There has hardly been any progress in the Mominpore-Kidderpore stretch. The duration of the contract was four years. From the time work starts at Kidderpore station, four years will be needed to complete the job," said a railway official.

Senior Metro officials told this newspaper that the long wait had led the carrier to "seriously consider" the possibility of discarding the Kidderpore station.

"In that case, Victoria will be the station after Mominpore. The distance between the two stations will then be 3.2km, more than double the standard," said one of them.

The construction of a shaft to launch the tunnel boring machines (TBM) to build the underground section of the corridor in Kidderpore is in full swing. The shaft is being built inside the St Thomas’ Boys’ School.

The construction of the diaphragm wall of this launching shaft is complete. Soil is now being dug to build the base slab.

The first of two tunnel boring machines arrived in Calcutta earlier this month from Germany via Tamil Nadu. It is expected to start working from May-end, said an engineer.

A senior railway official said he was still hopeful. “The project was sanctioned when Mamata Banerjee was the railway minister (in 2010-11). It has already been pushed back for several years. We hope to get the nod from the state government soon,” he said.