Modi inaugurates Phase-I of Nagpur Metro; opens Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi E-way

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the Nagpur Metro rail project Nagpur and travelled in the train with students.

He also laid the foundation stone of Phase-II of the metro project.

The prime minister took a ride in the metro train between Zero Mile Freedom Park and Khapri stations with some students. Before boarding the train, he visited an exhibition on the project at the Zero Mile station.

Models related to metro projects were on display at the exhibition.

After deboarding at Khapri station, he flagged off trains on the Orange and Aqua lines of the project.

There are 36 stations under Phase-I of the project, which covers a distance of 40 km.

This project has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 8,650 crore, officials said.

Phase-II of the project will be developed at more than Rs 6,700 crore. It will have 32 stations and cover a distance of 43.8 km, they said.

The second phase extends to Kanhan in the north, Butibori MIDC in the south, Transport Nagar (Kapsi) in the east and Hingna in the west.

It comprises 1.2 km at-grade with two stations and 42.6 km elevated with 30 stations.

The Reach–II route of the first phase stretches from Sitabuldi Interchange to Automotive Square and the total length of route is 5.8 km.

The Reach–IV stretches from Sitabuldi Interchange to Prajapati Nagar with a total length of 8.30 km.

The 1.6 km long section between Sitabuldi Interchange and Kasturchand Park – part of Reach-II – was opened for passenger service, along with two metro stations of Kasturchand Park and Zero Mile Freedom Park on August 20, 2021, a release said.

The Reach-II section runs parallel to Kamptee Road, which is one of the busiest roads in the city.

The four-layer transportation system includes the existing road and the railway track over it.

Flyover and railway track are the next two levels. History was created and these major records were scripted with the launching of girder on February 4 this year, said Maha Metro, which is implementing the project.

"Overall, 32,000 Height Strength Friction Grip bolts were used in the 800 tonne girder. Similarly 80,000 bolts were used in the complete structure. The topmost part of steel girder is at a height of 32 meters from the ground. For the first time in the history of Indian Railways, 22-meter wide steel girder was launched across railway track. Such a four-layer transportation system is being constructed for the first time in the country," it said.

The prime minister also inaugurated the first phase of the Nagpur-Mumbai 'Samruddhi Expressway' in Nagpur on Sunday.

The first phase connects Nagpur to the temple town of Shirdi in Ahmednagar district covering a distance of 520 km.

The length of the total project, officially named as 'Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg', will be 701 km.

The project is a brainchild of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and was conceptualised when he was the chief minister in 2015. Once completed, the expressway will reduce the travel time from Nagpur to Mumbai to seven hours.

The project is being built at an cost of about Rs 55,000 crore and passes through 10 districts in the state. It will improve the connectivity of adjoining 14 other districts, and play a key role in the development of about 24 districts, including the regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra, officials said.

It will connect to the Delhi Mumbai Expressway, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and tourist attractions like Ajanta-Ellora Caves, Shirdi, Lonar, among others, they said.