Nagpur Metro is preparing for a rewrite of its fare collection system as Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) moves to replace the network’s closed-loop MAHA Card structure with an open-loop National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)-based Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system. This initiative comes under the Centre’s ‘One Nation, One Card’ mission. The corporation has floated a Rs 154.30 crore tender for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the upgraded AFC network for Phase-II, with execution scheduled over 180 weeks. Speaking to ‘The Hitavada’, a senior Maha Metro official said the transition is aimed at synchronising Nagpur Metro with the Union Government’s interoperable mobility framework.

 

The proposed RuPay-backed platform would allow commuters to move across Metro corridors, city bus systems, suburban rail services and other compatible transport networks nationwide through a single card-based interface, which would hence dismantle the need for isolated transit payment systems. Maha Metro will finalise the implementation structure after evaluating technical and financial bids submitted by participating agencies. The tender covers Open Loop Europay, Mastercard, and Visa National Common Mobility Card (EMV NCMC), QR-enabled ticketing integration, interoperability software architecture and Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract services. Officials said the project valuation was derived after studying earlier AFC deployments, operational conditions and projected expansion requirements of the Metro network. The proposed overhaul would transform the existing MAHA Card from a network-specific transit instrument into a broader payment interface capable of supporting Metro travel, buses, railways, FastTag, retail transactions and ATM usage wherever compatible infrastructure exists. Officials further said the AFC gates installed during Nagpur Metro Phase-I would largely remain intact, with interoperability being introduced primarily through software-level upgrades instead of large-scale hardware replacement. The approach is expected to contain infrastructure costs while enabling seamless compatibility with bank-issued NCMC cards and digital payment platforms.