Indore (Madhya Pradesh): After a wait of 15 long years, the people of the city will finally witness the trail run of the Metro Train on Saturday.
During the trial run, the Metro Train is expected to run on the 6.3 km super priority corridor, which is part of the 16 km priority corridor from Gandhi Nagar to Radisson Square.
Though planning for a metro had been going on for the last decade and a half, the Metro project foundation stone was finally laid by former chief minister Kamal Nath on September 14, 2019.
Initially, the work started at a brisk pace, thanks to the coronavirus outbreak work was badly affected and by 2021, only 5 per cent of the targeted Indore Metro work was completed. In comparison, authorities in Bhopal Metro had managed to complete 25 per cent of the work.
However, by the end of 2021, Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation fixed August 2023 as the deadline for the trial run. From then, the work of Metro sped up. In July 2022, the first segment launching of Indore Metro was completed.
Over the months the work on the Metro tracks and stations continued 24x7 and the authorities managed to complete it after a minor one-month delay.
Apart from the super-priority corridor, tenders for the corridor from Robot Square to Palasia are in the process of being allotted and soil testing work of the corridor on MG Road from Palasia to Regal Square is also going on.
The commercial run is expected by June 2024 on the priority corridor.
TIMELINE OF THE PROJECT
July 16, 2018: Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) issued for Design and Construction of Elevated Viaduct of tender value Rs 257 Crore
September 20, 2018: Dilip Buildcon Limited awarded tender for Design and Construction of Elevated Viaduct for tender value of Rs 229.0 crore
October 3, 2018: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approves implementation of Indore Metro Rail Project
September 14, 2019: Madhya Pradesh former Chief Minister Kamal Nath laid the foundation stone for Indore Metro Project at MR 10
February 28, 2020: Shopkeepers in Kothari Market opposed the construction of underground metro rail between Gandhi Hall to Bada Ganapati.
March 2, 2021: In the budget announced in 2021, the government sanctioned Rs 262 crores for development of Bhopal and Indore Metro Rail.
June 25, 2021: Decision taken to change Metro alignment near Boliya Sarkaar Chhatri and other heritage places for protecting heritage places
September 1: First Metro Rail car arrives in city
September 10, 2023: First safety run of Metro Rail takes place
METRO RAIL PROJECT
Indore Metro’s master plan with 94 kms of routes was prepared to envision 4 metro lines & 2 spurs crisscrossing the city out of which 1 line (Line-3 – a ring line) has been selected for implementation in Phase 1. The project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) with 33.53 km of routes was approved by the state government in December 2016 and by the Central Government’s cabinet in October 2018 with a deadline of Indore Phase-1 till August 2023.
Line-3: Palasia – Railway Station – Rajwada- Airport – Bhawarsala – MR10 – Robot Square – Bangali Square, Palasia (Ring Line)
Length: 33.53 km
Type: Elevated & Underground
Depot: Super Corridor/Gandhi Nagar
Number of Stations: 30
Station Names: Bhawarsala Square, MR 10 Road, ISBT / MR 10 Flyover, Chandragupta Square, Hira Nagar, Bapat Square, Meghdoot Garden, Vijay Nagar Square, Radisson Square, Mumtaj Bag Colony, Bengali Square, PatrakarColoy, Palasia Square, High Court / Hotel Residency, Indore Railway Station, Rajwada Palace, Maulana Azad Marg, BadaGanpati, Ramchandra Nagar Square, Kalani Nagar, BSF, Airport, Gandhi Nagar Nanod, Super Corridor 6, Super Corridor 5, Super Corridor 4, Super Corridor 3, Super Corridor 2 and Super Corridor 1
