Bhubaneswar, Aug 18: Daily ridership of the proposed metro rail project in Bhubaneswar is expected to be 95,000 daily. During pick hours the distance between metro rails would be 10 minutes, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has projected.
Similarly, the metro rails will run at the highest speed of 85 km per hour while the average speed will remain at 33 km per hour. The minimum ticket price will be Rs 14 and the maximum Rs 70, DMRC projected in its 564-page DPR submitted to the Odisha government on Wednesday for the state's first proposed metro rail project.
The rail project will connect Bhubaneswar Airport with Trishulia in Cuttack in the first phase. The 26 km-long elevated metro corridor will have 20 stations with around a 1 km gap between each station.
Later, it will be extended to cover Khordha, Puri, and other areas of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack City.
The trains will run over 31 to 43 feet high from the ground and roads, and most of the pillars will be constructed on a median using precast technology, according to the DPR.
The construction work of the project will begin in April 2024 and be completed by March 2028. The DPR has outlaid a budget of Rs 5929 for the first phase of construction.
The Daily ridership has been estimated at 95,434 in 2028 and 1,02797 in 2031 that will increase to 1,43,000 in 2041 and 2,11,000 in 2051.
The average travel distance of passengers will be 5.86 km in 2028. The ticket cost has been estimated at Rs 14 for 0-2 km, Rs 28 for 2-5 km, Rs 42 for 5-10 km, Rs 56 for 10-17 km, and Rs 69 for more than 17 km travel.
The train service will be available for 19 hours a day starting from 5 am. The trains will have three cars having a total 972 passenger capacity with 136 seating capacities for each car and abundant passage places for standing.
The metro rail service will begin with nine trains in the first phase in 2028 at 10-minute intervals at pick time and 16 to 40 minutes intervals between trains during other times with 30-second stoppage time at every station.
Notably, the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) which was notified on August 3, 2023, has been constituted to execute the project. Its CEO and General Manager (Administration) have been appointed.
The design of the project will be prepared soon and sent for technical permission. Tenders will be floated after obtaining technical permission, said a senior official dealing with the project.
According to DPR, Phase 1 of the BMRCL will connect Biju Patnaik Airport, Capital Hospital, Sishu Bhawan, Bapujinagar, Bhubaneswar Railway Station, Ram Mandir Square, Vanivihar, Acharya Vihar Square, Jaydev Vihar Square, Xavier Square, Rail Sadan, District Centre, Damana Square, Patia Square, KIIT Square, Nandan Vihar, Raghunathpur, Nandankanan Zoological Pak, Phulapokhari, and Trisulia Square, Cuttack.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had sanctioned the metro rail project on the occasion of the State’s Foundation Day on April 1, 2023.
