Kolkata Metro: Purple Line Gains Speed, Process Starts To Acquire 5,871-sq m Land

Kolkata: Now the Purple Line, too, has gathered steam. The railway ministry has issued land acquisition notices for the Purple Line’s extension to Diamond Park, via IIM-Calcutta.A gazette notification to acquire land for Phase 1 of Kolkata Metro’s Joka-Diamond Park corridor via IIM-Calcutta -- as part of the Purple Line’s extension beyond Joka by another 1.7km -- has been published by the ministry of railways.TOI reported on Mar 12, 2025, that Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), implementing agency of the now 14km Joka-Esplanade corridor or Purple Line, will extend beyond Joka to IIM-Calcutta. Metro Railway had proposed the 1.7 km extension in 2024.The notification published by the ministry of railways on June 4, 2026 for acquiring private land in the Diamond Park via IIM-C, reads, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of Section 7 of the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978, the central government hereby declares its intention to acquire the additional lands, buildings, streets, roads, passages or the right of users or easement therein, as specified in the schedule ...”According to the notification, private land in moujas like Sarmasterchak, Hanspukuria and Joka will be acquired in the next few months targeting 5,871sqm area.Metro Railway has already floated a tender worth Rs 378crore for the Purple Line’s southward extension. Another extension is on the cards – from Esplanade to Eden Gardens. According to the bid document, 44 pillars and a station must be completed within 30 months after acquisition. With the new addition, the Purple Line will now span 18 km from IIM-Joka-Diamond Park to Eden Gardens (1.6km from Esplanade station). RVNL has identified a site belonging to PWD, around 100 m past the IIM-Calcutta campus on DH Road.The Purple Line project is now proceeding to join the Metro hub comprising the North-South (Blue Line) and East-West Metro (Green Line) interfaces. Even without the extensions to IIM-C on the south and Eden Gardens on the north, the Purple Line will be integral to the much-anticipated Esplanade Metro hub. But the extension to IIM-C will be a significant addition for metro commuters, who can now use only 8km from Joka to Majerhat.Once the premier business school is added on the southern end, travellers from the airport can reach via the Airport-Noapara line, hopping to the Blue Line (North-South) from Noapara and interchange at Esplanade to board the Purple Line to reach IIM-C.