Madhya Pradesh’s long wait for a metro service will finally end in April when the Indore metro service commences operations. According to officials, Bhopal metro commercial operations will have to wait a bit longer until mid-2025 (July) to start.
The metro system aims to transform urban mobility in Madhya Pradesh’s capital city and Indore, its most populous city.
The Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) will begin the final stages of their inspections, after which commercial operations can start once the certification process has been completed.
Originally, the Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MPMRCL) had planned a combined launch of metro services in Bhopal and Indore with a five-kilometre travel range. However, with the addition of a rail over bridge in Bhopal, the stretch has increased to 7.5 km, encompassing eight metro stations.
Each metro train has three coaches designed to accommodate up to 900 passengers during peak hours. The coaches feature modern interiors with comfortable seating arrangements for 50 people per coach and standing room for approximately 250 commuters.
The Bhopal metro system is slated to undergo rigorous load testing at the Habibganj ROB (railway over bridge). This will be conducted by the MPMRCL before the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) teams visit for certification. Sources said that the steel bridge will have to endure double the estimated load in the certification process.
After RDSO certification, CMRS inspections are expected to be undertaken in Bhopal in three phases. This would include the certification of civil and other safety features, including automatic doors, emergency intercoms, and CCTV surveillance systems. The metro network was expanded from five kilometres to eight kilometres in subsequent phases to enhance connectivity till AIIMS.
(With inputs from a news report)