Bhopal joins India’s metro map with launch of Orange Line Priority Corridor

Bhopal too became a ‘metro’ city on Saturday. The capital of Madhya Pradesh joined the elite list of Indian cities with metro rail services. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav formally inaugurated the first phase of the Bhopal Metro on Saturday evening.

The metro service for the public will start from the morning of 21 December. The initial service, the ‘Priority Corridor – Orange Line’, will operate along a stretch of about 7 km between Subhash Nagar and AIIMS Bhopal. It includes eight elevated stations.

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On the occasion, Khattar said that India currently ranks third in the world in metro line coverage. He informed that India had a 1,083 km metro network, which has now increased to 1,090 km with today’s addition. The minister added that China currently has the longest metro network in the world.

Khattar said that India would soon surpass the USA in metro line length. “Bhopal has become the 26th city in the country to have metro trains,” he said. “America is in second place globally with a 1,400 km-long network. We have 900 km of metro projects in the pipeline, and India will surpass the USA mark of 1,400 km with the addition of 300 km soon.”

The estimated cost of the Bhopal Metro is ₹10,033 crore, with the Priority Corridor accounting for ₹2,225 crore. According to officials, the Orange Line service is expected to carry 3,000 passengers daily. The minimum fare has been fixed at ₹20.