Maharashtra Govt Approves Nagpur’s Broad Gauge Metro Project

Maharashtra Government’s cabinet on Wednesday approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Nagpur’s Broad Gauge Metro project with an estimated cost of Rs. 333.60 crore.

This 268.63 km new regional rapid transit system (RRTS) project will be executed by Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) and utilize the Central Railways’ existing tracks to connect Nagpur with nearby towns of Wardha, Katol, Narkhed, Ramtek and Bhandara via a modern comfortable railway system.

The project was first proposed in 2018. Its Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared by Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC) in 2019 and had previously estimated the project to cost Rs 418 crore, half of which will go towards procuring modern rolling stock capable of operating at speeds of 160 kmph.

More detailed information can be viewed on the project’s information page here.

Routes

Line 1: Nagpur – Wardha
• Length: 78.8 km
• Estimated Daily Ridership: 5,669
• End-to-End Travel Time: 70 mins
• Number of Stations: 13
• Station Names: Nagpur Junction, Ajni, Khapri, Gumgaon, Bori, Borkhedi, Sindi, Tuljapur, Dahegaon, Seloo Road, Varud, Sewagram, Wardha Junction

Line-2: Nagpur – Narkhed
• Length: 85.53 km
• Estimated Daily Ridership: 2,616
• End-to-End Travel Time: 75 mins
• Number of Stations: 11
• Station Names: Nagpur Junction, Godhani, Bharatwada, Kalmeshwar, Kohali, Sonkhamb, Metpanjra, Katol, Kalambha, Tinkheda, Narkher Junction

Line-3: Nagpur – Ramtek
• Length: 41.6 km
• Estimated Daily Ridership: 3,929
• End-to-End Travel Time: 60 mins
• Number of Stations: 7
• Station Names: Nagpur Junction, Kalamna, Kamptee, Kanhan Junction, Dumri Khurd, Amdi Halt, Ramtek

Line-4: Nagpur – Bhandara Road
• Length: 62.7 km
• Estimated Daily Ridership: 2,556
• End-to-End Travel Time: 55 mins
• Number of Stations: 8
• Station Names: Nagpur Junction, Kalamna, Kamptee, Kanhan Junction, Chacher, Rewral, Khat, Bhandara Road

The project’s DPR was approved by the Railway Board in November 2019 and envisions 70% of its total cost to be financed via a loan, possibly via KfW which has previously shown interest, and 30% to be financed through the state and central governments.

The DPR will now be sent to the Central Government for its cabinet’s approval. When it comes to the execution stage, I hope they come up with a cool name for this service as saying ‘broad gauge metro’ is kind of awkward.

For more updates, check out the Nagpur section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG

Hat-tip to Aneesh