What new Patna metro, inaugurated by Nitish Kumar, will feature
What's the story
Just hours before the Election Commission of India announced poll-bound Bihar's schedule on Monday, the Patna Metro was officially launched. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the first operational stretch of the metro, which is a 4.3-km priority corridor between Bhutnath Road and New ISBT. The corridor has three stations, ISBT, Zero Mile, and Bhutnath Road, and will be open to the public from October 7.
Operational features
Metro to run from 8am to 10pm
According to PTI, the service will run from 8:00am to 10:00pm daily, with trains operating at 20-minute intervals. Initially, trains will run at a maximum speed of 40km/h and make 40-42 trips per day. The fare ranges from ₹15 for the ISBT to Zero Mile section, to ₹30 for the New ISBT to Bhutnath Road section. Each coach can accommodate up to 945 standing passengers and includes 138 seats, with 12 seats reserved for women and persons with disabilities.
Safety features
Coaches decorated with Madhubani paintings
The metro coaches are decorated with traditional Madhubani paintings and stickers of Bihar's iconic landmarks. For passenger safety, every coach is fitted with 360-degree CCTV cameras, emergency buttons, and microphones for direct communication with train operators in case of an emergency. Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP) personnel will be deployed across all metro premises to ensure commuter safety. The inaugural Patna Metro train, flagged off on Monday, comprised new coaches manufactured by Alstom in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Expansion plans
CM lays foundation for underground metro corridor
Apart from the launch, CM Kumar also laid the foundation stone for a 9.35km underground metro corridor under Corridor-1. The estimated cost of this section will be ₹2,565.8 crore, and will stretch across six subterranean stations, extending from Patna Junction to Rukanpura and Mithapur. The Patna Metro project is expected to cost ₹13,925.5 crore with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Government of India, and the Government of Bihar.
Project details
Patna Metro project to be completed by 2027
The Patna Metro project will have a total length of 31.42km with two corridors, the 16.86km Red Line and the 14.56km Blue Line, with a total of 24 stations planned. Full-scale operations across all phases are expected to commence by 2027. To expedite services, Patna Metro leased a three-coach train set from Pune Metro for three years at ₹21.15 crore, approved on July 15.