Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the 9-km long priority corridor of the metro rail in Bhopal on Tuesday. Metro means “safe, comfortable, smooth, online ticketing, pollution free and cheap journey” as compared to other modes of transport, the chief minister said on the occasion.
The priority corridor, comprising five stations, was completed in a record time of just eight months, Chouhan said and congratulated the Metro Rail Corporation team led by principal secretary Neeraj Mandloi and managing director Manish Singh for the achievement.
Even the coaches were manufactured in just five months after the design was finalised, he said.
Chouhan flagged off the metro train and travelled with public representatives and officials in the trial run from Subhash Nagar to Rani Kamalapati station, a distance of nearly 5 km.
The chief minister further said that if required, the metro train service will be extended up to Mandideep, Sehore and Vidisha in future.
Madhya Pradesh medical education minister Vishvash Sarang and Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai among others were present on the occasion.
While inaugurating the priority corridor, the chief minister recalled that when he came to the city for further studies after Class 4, tongas were the only mode of local transport.
Later tempos, popularly known as “bhat suar”, ruled the city roads, he said.
After autorickshaws, taxis, city buses, minibuses and BRTS, people of the state capital will now travel in swanky metro trains, Chouhan said.
The sanctioned cost for the construction of the Bhopal Metro Rail project is Rs 6,941 crore.
Under the first phase, work on the 30.95 km track is underway, and of this, the Orange Line from AIIMS to Karond is 16.77 km long, while the Blue Line is a 14.18 km route from Bhadbhada Square to Ratnagiri tri-section.
