The 19.65km-long Line 1 (North-South) serves 17 stations. Credit: bk kartik21.
The MRTS covers a total length of 38.21km and is estimated to cost Rs86.80bn ($1.4bn). Credit: Asianchamp2.
The Nagpur Metro rail project was approved by the Government of India in August 2014. Image: courtesy of Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
The current public transportation system in Nagpur serves 10% of commuters of the city. Image: courtesy of Nikkul.

Nagpur Metro is a new mass rapid transport system (MRTS)  developed in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The MRTS covers a total length of 38.21km and is estimated to cost Rs86.80bn ($1.4bn).

The Nagpur Metro encompasses two alignments, which include the north-south corridor and the east-west corridor. The North-South corridor originates at Automotive Square in the north and terminates at MIHAN in the south, whereas the east-west corridor connects Prajapati Nagar in the eastern part of the city with Lokmanya Nagar in the western part of the city. The two routes will be served by 38 stations in total.

Motorised transport in Nagpur is dominated by two-wheelers (28%) and other vehicles, which cause pollution and traffic congestion on roads. The city thus required a safe, reliable, cost-efficient, commuter-friendly and pollution-free rapid public transport system to resolve these issues.

The new rapid transit system proposed for Nagpur reduces travel time by approximately 50% and offers easy and uninterrupted movement in major parts of the city. Nagpur Metro was inaugurated in March 2019.

Nagpur metro rail project details

The Gurgaon Metro Rail Project is a planned 6.1km-long rapid rail route that connects Sikanderpur on Delhi Metro Line 2 (DMRC) with the DLF Cyber City region in Gurgaon near Haryana.

Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), the Planning and Development Authority for the entire Nagpur Metropolitan region, signed an agreement with Delhi Metro Rail Cooperation (DMRC) for the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for Nagpur Metro rail system in February 2012. DMRC submitted the DPR to NIT in February 2013.

Traffic survey for the project was concluded in May 2013. The DPR received approval from the state government of Maharashtra in January 2014 and ‘In Principle’ approval from the Ministry of Urban Development in February 2014.

The Government of India sanctioned the project in August 2014 and foundation stone was laid by the Indian Prime Minister in the same month. The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) transferred 37ha of land to Nagpur Metro Railway Company Limited (NMRCL) for the metro rail project in February 2015.

NMRCL is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) created by central and state governments for the execution of the project. It floated a tender for the construction of bridges, retaining walls, boundary walls, and earthwork in depot and at-grade section in Airport-Khapari-Mihan depot segment in the North-South corridor in April 2015.

Construction work of Nagpur Metro at Munje Sq began in March 2017. The first ride of Nagpur Metro was taken by Peoples Representatives in June 2018. The North-South corridor was inaugurated in March 2019.

The second phase of Nagpur Metro rail project was approved by the state cabinet in January 2019. The first steel I girder erection at Gowari fly over began took place in February 2019. The pit wheel lathe (PWL) at MIHAN rolling stock depot in December 2019. The work on Maha Metro’s Gaddigodam multi-layer transport system began in February 2020.

The construction of 25km of metro line was completed in 50 months. The entire project is expected to be operational in early 2021.

Nagpur Metro line routes

The 19.65km-long Line 1 (North-South) serves 17 stations. These are Automotive Square, Nari Road, Indora Square, Kadvi Square, GaddiGodam Square, Kasturchand Park, Zero Mile, and Sitaburdi, as well as Congress Nagar, Rahate Colony, Ajni Square, Chhatrapati Square, Jaiprakash Nagar, Ujjwal Nagar, Airport, New Airport and Khapari. The route will include a terminal-cum-depot at MIHAN.

The Line 2 (East-West) will pass through 20 elevated stations, which are Prajapati Nagar, Vaishno Devi Square, Ambedkar Square, Telephone Exchange, ChittarOli Square, Agrasen Square, Dosar Vaisya Square, Nagpur Railway Station, Cotton Market, Sitaburdi, Jhansi Rani Square, and Institute of Engineers, as well as Shankar Nagar Square, LAD Square, Dharampeth College, Subhash Nagar, Rachana Ring Road Junction, Vasudev Nagar, Bansi Nagar, and Lokmanya Nagar.

Rolling stock on the 18.55km-long line will be serviced by a depot at Lokmanya Nagar. Two routes will converge at Sitaburdi where commuters would be able to interchange the routes.

Project finance

The government of India and the government of Maharashtra agreed to fund 20% each of the total project cost, whereas NIT and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) contributed 5% each. The remaining 50% funding has been secured through loans and other sources.