55km Phase 3 To Be Metro’s Longest Expansion

Nagpur: Nagpur Metro will now run along the Inner Ring Road from Mankapur Chowk to Rachana junction (Hingna T-point), a stretch of 25km, as part of Metro Phase 3. Days after MahaMetro floated the tender for preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Phase 3, it was officially confirmed that the Inner Ring Road corridor will be included in the DPR. Union minister Nitin Gadkari also confirmed its inclusion during a press conference on Monday.With this, Nagpur Metro Phase 3 will be the largest expansion planned so far, spanning a tentative 54.5 km, as per the proposed blueprint incorporated in the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) approved in July last year. Apart from the Inner Ring Road corridor, Phase 3 comprises three other major stretches.
Under Phase 3, the Sitabuldi–Koradi corridor (11.5 km), finalised earlier as part of the CMP expansion aims to strengthen north-south connectivity. A 3km high-capacity corridor from MIDC ESR to CEAT Ltd is proposed to improve last-mile connectivity to the Butibori–MIDC industrial belt, while a 15 km Khapri–New Nagpur corridor will integrate the upcoming greenfield New Nagpur development with the existing metro network.Together, these four corridors will add about 55 km to Nagpur Metro's footprint. With Phase I and Phase II together accounting for nearly 84 km, the addition of Phase 3 will take the total network length to approximately 129 km, placing Nagpur among cities with one of the most extensive Metro networks in the country.The Alternative Analysis Report (AAR) and DPR, to be prepared over the next nine months as per MoHUA guidelines, will finalise the exact alignments, station locations, and the mix of elevated and underground sections across all Phase 3 corridors. Once completed, the DPR will be submitted to the state govt and the Centre for approvals.The DPR tender for Phase 3 was floated after the Model Code of Conduct was lifted following the NMC elections. The DPR will also examine the feasibility of introducing driverless Metro operations under Phase 3, including advanced signalling and automation systems, which could make it Nagpur's first fully-automated Metro corridor, as reported earlier by TOI.Construction of Phase 3 corridors is expected to be taken up in a phased manner after the commissioning of Phase II, setting the stage for Nagpur Metro's most ambitious expansion yet.