Nagpur Metro's Phase 3 Expansion Gets Green Light as RITES Secures Contract Nagpur Metro’s ambitious expansion plan took a significant step forward as Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES Ltd) was awarded a ₹3.12 crore contract to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) and alternative analysis report (AAR) for the proposed 55km Metro Phase 3 expansion. The consultant is set to begin on-ground work within the next 15 days, according to senior MahaMetro officials. This marks a pivotal moment for the city’s transportation infrastructure, as the project aims to extend the metro network to cover 129km of Nagpur and its surrounding areas, surpassing the current 84km under Phases 1 and 2. The DPR will serve as the foundational blueprint for the largest expansion in Nagpur Metro’s history. Among its key objectives is the feasibility study for introducing driverless Metro operations under Phase 3, a first for the city. Additionally, the report will validate the proposed underground sections, which could establish Nagpur’s first underground metro corridor. This dual focus on innovation and infrastructure development underscores the project’s potential to modernize the city’s public transport system. The tender process involved two firms, with RITES securing the contract due to its completion timeline of 270 days (nine months). The report will cover four proposed corridors: the 25km Mankapur Chowk–Rachana Junction (Inner Ring Road), the 11.5km Sitabuldi–Koradi line, the 3km MIDC ESR–CEAT Ltd (Butibori Extension), and the 15km Khapri–New Nagpur route. These corridors collectively form the backbone of the expansion, designed to enhance connectivity across key urban and suburban areas. The project’s scale and scope highlight the government’s commitment to addressing Nagpur’s growing transportation demands.#nagpur #mahaMetro #nagpur_metro #rites_ltd #phase_3
After PM’s public transport push, call for Nagpur Metro’s longer hours grows Nagpur: The operating hours of Nagpur Metro have come under renewed focus after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent appeal for greater use of public transport, reigniting a long-standing local demand to extend services beyond the current 6am to 10pm schedule. Commuters, including industrial workers, night-shift employees, office-goers, and late-evening passengers, have long sought longer Metro hours as ridership rises and reliance on public transport grows. Alongside timing constraints, many argue poor last-mile connectivity remains a major barrier to wider Metro use. The 2013 detailed project report for Nagpur Metro originally proposed 19 hours of daily operations, from 5am to midnight, with no services between midnight and 5am to allow maintenance of infrastructure and rolling stock. However, the current schedule has not met the needs of thousands of workers in the Hingna and Butibori industrial belts, where late-night transport options are limited and costly. Industrial bodies have emphasized that even a one-hour extension of Metro timings would provide significant relief, though they stress that feeder connectivity is equally critical. P Mohan, president of the MIDC Industries Association, highlighted the need for dedicated buses or shuttle services to connect Metro stations with factories in Hingna MIDC. Similarly, Ruchir Kumar Gupta, a senior functionary of the Butibori MIDC Association, noted that extending operating hours until midnight or 12:30am would support employees working across multiple shifts. Many industries operate three shifts, with the last day shift ending around 11pm and the midnight shift beginning shortly after, making extended Metro services essential for both outgoing and incoming workers.#prime_minister_narendra_modi #maha_metro #hingna_midc #nagpur_metro #butibori_midc
