NAGPUR Metro’s Phase-3 blueprint reveals an ambitious 54.5- kilometer expansion across four strategic corridors that would transform the city’s transit network from 82 kilometers (Phase 1 operational plus Phase 2 under construction) to an eventual 129 kilometers. This would establish Nagpur as one of India’s most extensively networked Tier-2 cities by metro rail coverage.

 

The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) 2025, prepared by MahaMetro in accordance with Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) guidelines and finalised after stakeholder consultations and public suggestions, identifies four distinct corridors addressing critical mobility gaps: 1) Mankapur Square to Rachna Junction along Inner Ring Road (25 km), providing orbital connectivity to decongest the city core by allowing passengers to by-pass Central Nagpur. 2) Sitabuldi to Koradi (11.5 km), extending North from Kasturchand Park station with Nagpur’s first underground metro section (3 km through dense city core, then 8.5 km elevated). 3) MIDC ESR to CEAT Ltd (3 km), offering last-mile connectivity into the Butibori-MIDC industrial belt. 4) Khapri to New Nagpur (15 km), integrating the planned township with existing metro infrastructure for transit-oriented development.

 

The 25-kilometer MankapurRachna corridor represents the network’s largest single component, fundamentally transforming Nagpur Metro’s topology from radial lines to a hub-andspoke system with orbital bypass capability. Following the Inner Ring Road, this corridor will serve inter-city passengers and industrial workers without forcing them through Sitabuldi interchange, reducing peak-hour loads. The corridor adopts a phased implementation strategy, initially operating with articulated buses while studying ridership patterns before potential metro conversion.

 

The Sitabuldi-Koradi corridor, estimated at Rs 3,500 crore (Rs 304 crore per kilometer), marks a significant engineering milestone as Nagpur’s maiden underground metro venture. The 3-kilometer underground section addresses constraints in the dense city core where flyovers, narrow rights-of-way, and heritage structures preclude elevated construction. The higher per-kilometer cost reflects underground construction realities -- typically 2.5-3X elevated rates -- with the blended Rs 304 crore average accommodating both the underground segment and 8.5-kilometer elevated portion. The Detailed Project Report, to be prepared over the next nine months, will provide comprehensive cost estimates, funding models, ridership projections, and implementation timelines necessary for government approvals. The phased implementation strategy ensures that construction begins only after Phase 2 completion and commissioning, allowing MahaMetro to apply lessons learned from earlier phases while maintaining construction quality and project management focus.