Kolkata Metro has taken a concrete step toward improving last-mile access to one of the country’s leading management institutes. A tender worth ₹377.8 crore has been invited to construct the viaduct and a new station for a 1.7 km southern extension of the Purple Line from Joka to IIM-Calcutta, with railway officials indicating that work may begin in November 2025, subject to bid outcomes and award formalities. The package calls for building 44 piers and the station within 30 months from the start date, putting a clear delivery window on record once work commences.
Project siting details underline the intent to keep the alignment functional for both the campus and the surrounding catchment. Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) has identified land belonging to the Public Works Department roughly 100 metres past the IIM-Calcutta campus on Diamond Harbour Road for the new stop. The station box will include provisions to connect with the proposed Joka–Diamond Park (Phase I) in the future, maintaining flexibility for onward southern expansion when that phase moves forward. Commuters familiar with the corridor will recognize why the location matters: IIM-Calcutta sits around 20 km from Howrah, 18 km from Sealdah, and about 35 km from the airport, so a direct rapid-transit interface can materially reshape typical trip chains.
On the network map, the southern push to IIM-Calcutta dovetails with the Purple Line’s northern works toward Eden Gardens. When both bookends are delivered, the line length is expected to reach roughly 18 km from IIM-Joka to Eden Gardens, with 14 stations in total, strengthening the Purple Line’s role as a parallel, load-balancing spine alongside the high-demand North–South corridor. Even in the earlier Joka–Esplanade concept at 14.1 km, integration at Esplanade was central; with the two extensions, that hub role is set to deepen. The Times of India report also notes alignment details within central Kolkata, including the tracks skirting the edge of the Governor House lawns before crossing over to the opposite flank, where the corridor’s fifth underground station is planned—engineering choices that reflect both heritage sensitivities and operational geometry.
For air-rail travellers, the extension simplifies a multi-modal pathway that already exists but lacks a final, grade-separated link to the campus. A typical journey would run Airport → Noapara (Airport–Noapara line), interchange to the North–South (Blue) Line at Noapara, hop off at Esplanade, and then switch to the Purple Line for the last leg to IIM-Calcutta. While this itinerary involves a couple of transfers, it trades signalised junctions and mixed-traffic delays on Diamond Harbour Road for reliable headways and predictable travel times—particularly meaningful during peak periods and monsoon disruptions. The benefits, as officials point out, are not limited to the institute; the surrounding neighbourhoods along DH Road also stand to gain a dependable rapid-transit option that fits into the larger interchange ecosystem.
Chronologically, this tender is the latest milestone after a series of preparatory actions. The project received a go-ahead for the IIM-Joka station earlier in the year, and Metro Railway proposed the southern extension around a year and a half ago. With bids now invited, stakeholders will watch for the familiar early-works signals—barricading, utility mapping, piling rigs—once the letter of acceptance is issued and site handover occurs. It bears repeating that the 30-month clock is tied to the eventual start date; “work may begin in November 2025” is a planning marker until award, mobilisation, and right-of-way readiness align. If executed to plan, the compact 1.7 km piece could deliver outsized value by knitting a premier campus and its wider catchment into Kolkata’s evolving multi-line metro grid.
