PATNA (Metro Rail News): The proposed preliminary work like soil test and basic engineering for three underground metro stations that are Gandhi Maidan near Bapu Sabhagar, PMCH and Patna University (PU) near NIT Mor has commenced in Patna. A Patna Metro Rail Corporation (PMRC) official said that the area near Gandhi Maidan, PMCH and PU has been barricaded for soil testing and other engineering work. Work on the construction of the three stations is expected to begin in the next 2-3 months.
Around 5% of work has been completed on the elevated part of Corridor II, which is also the priority corridor. The overall physical and financial advancement of the Patna metro rail project is 1.6% and 2.79%, respectively, till February 2022. So far, Rs 615 crore has been consumed on construction work on the priority corridor and Rs 1,333 crore has been released for this project by the state government and the Centre.
This is a milestone for Corridor II between Patna Junction and Patliputra Bus Terminal via Gandhi Maidan of the Patna Metro rail project, which has been saddled with several missed deadlines. The selected firm has also started the geological and geotechnical test, which is important to understand subsurface layers and prevent any failures in tunnel construction.
“Unlike elevated part, stations will be developed first in the underground section after which the network will be made. To connect underground stations with networks, ramps and twin tunnels will be constructed. In elevated section, we will first construct the networks and it will be followed by the construction of stations. The work tender was awarded for construction of underground section of Corridor II in December last year and the preliminary work has already started,” the official added.
The soil test will also study the erosion aspect and other features before the tunnel boring machines can be pressed in to dig and burrow the twin tunnels. Six underground stations (7.9-km-long), an underground ramp and twin tunnels from Akashvani to Rajendra Nagar will be constructed with Rs 1,989 crore expenditure. The project was awarded to L&T Construction. The underground construction work on Corridor II involves the design and construction of twin tunnels, an underground ramp at Rajendra Nagar and six underground metro stations – Rajendra Nagar (interchangeable station), Moin-ul-Haq Stadium, PU, PMCH, Gandhi Maidan and Akashvani. The total length of this corridor is 14.5km, including 6.6km elevated metro lines, which have five stations from Malahi Pakri to Patliputra ISBT via Khemni Chak Bhoothnath and Zero Mile.
The estimated cost of the Patna metro project is Rs 13,365 crore (excluding land acquisition cost, which will be borne by the state government). Twenty per cent of the project cost will be borne by the state government, 20% by the Centre and the remaining 60% will be borrowed as loan from JICA.
“The state government has made available 4.26 hectares of land out of 4.32 hectares required for the Patna Metro rail project. The JICA officials are likely to visit the state by next month. We expect the release of funds by JICA after the officials’ visit,” an urban development and housing department official said.
