Nagpur broad-gauge Metro is a commuter rail project planned for the city of Nagpur. The proposed MRTS is planned to extend up to Wardha, Yavatmal, Narkhed, Ramtek, Bhandara, Amravati, Wadsa and Chhindwara (also Nagbhid shortly) in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited will execute the project.
Urban Mass Transit Company prepared a report for Nagpur broad gauge metro. Four routes of approximately 270 km were proposed at the cost of Rs. 418 crore. As per the DPR three coach trains will run on Indian Railway’s broad gauge tracks at a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h. The passenger capacity of each train would be 885 passengers. The final detailed project report was submitted in August 2019. The maximum design speed will be 200 kilometre per hour and the operating speed will be 160 km/hr.
The Government of Maharashtra cleared the proposal for broad gauge metro in March 2019. Railway board, Ministry of Railways under Government of India has approved the DPR in November 2019. The extension of Nagpur Metro to connect cities near Nagpur with air-conditioned metro train instead of passenger train approved by Maharashtra government recently will connect Nagpur with Bhandara, Wardha, Ramtek and Narkhed through broad gauge network connected to Nagpur Metro network. The total project cost is estimated around Rs 333.60 crore.
As per Maha Metro, Nagpur-Bhandara corridor will be 59.2 kms long and will have nine stations. The 78.8 km long Nagpur Wardha corridor will have 11 stations. Nagpur-Narkhed corridor of 85.53 km will have 10 stations, and Nagpur-Ramtek corridor of 41.6 km will have six stations. The total length of these four corridors will be 265.4 km and the average station distance will be 7.5 km. The time taken by broad gauge trains in comparison to existing Indian Railways trains on these routes, will also be curtailed, claimed Maha Metro. As per the State Cabinet decision, the project will be completed in two phases.
The first phase will be completed from 2021 to 2031. The second phase will start after 2031. People will benefit as the number of daily commuters from the above-mentioned places to Nagpur will increase. The project will have share capital of Maharashtra Government, Central Government, and Maha Metro. As per the State Cabinet decision, the responsibility of obtaining a loan from KfW and making correspondence has been given to Maha Metro. KfW, the International finance agency, is financing the first phase of Maha Metro project.
It is ready to finance the Broad Gauge Metro project at a total cost of Rs 305.20 crore. For the implementation of this project, State Government has sanctioned Rs 21.30 crore and the remaining share will come from Central Government. The main objective of this project is to utilise the existing infrastructure of Indian Railways by providing air-conditioned, fast, reliable and comfortable service between Nagpur and four satellite cities. The Broad Gauge metro project will act as feeder service for Nagpur Metro, thus reducing dependence on private vehicles and transport services. It will also help in reducing traffic congestion and road accidents and pollution. The project will reduce travel time between Nagpur and the four satellite cities mentioned above.
Maha Metro trains run at 120 kmph. Initially, four trains will connect the four locations, and this number will be gradually increased to eight. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Indian Railways, Maharashtra Government, and Maha Metro on July 16, 2018. It is expected that the development of Narkhed and Katol areas would get a boost with the Broad Gauge Metro connectivity between Nagpur and Narkhed.
The Broad Gauge Metro would reduce travel time between Nagpur and Wardha to 35 minutes. Khapri, Ajni, and Nagpur railway stations will be integrated with the nearest metro station for inter-change. The Railway Board approved the detailed project report of this project in 2019. It was sent to the State Government due to some shortcomings in and funding arrangement. The tracks, signals and stations of Central Railway will be used for the Broad Gauge Metro. The metro train will stop at each station for about 1 to 1.5 minutes like Mumbai local.
Project Detail
| Name of Corridor | Terminal Stations | Length of Corridors | Number of Stations |
| Corridor 1 | Nagpur to Bhandara Road | 59.2 Km | 09 |
| Corridor 2 | Nagpur to Ramtek | 416 Km | 06 |
| Corridor 3 | Nagpur to Narkhed | 85.53 Km | 10 |
| Corridor 4 | Nagpur to Wardha | 78.8 Km | 11 |
The Maharashtra Government which recently approved the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Nagpur’s Broad Gauge Metro project would be a 268.63 km new regional rapid transit system (RRTS) to 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.
Routes
Line 1: Nagpur – Wardha
- Length: 78.8 km
- Estimated Daily Ridership in 2021: 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 in 2021: 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 in 2021: 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 in 2021: 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
Nagpur’s New Broad Gauge Metro Lines
The project’s DPR was approved by the Railway Board in November 2019 and envisions seventy percent of its total cost to be financed via a loan, possibly via KfW (Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau – German Development Bank) which has previously shown interest, and thirty percent to be financed through the state and central governments.
