Bhopal gets its long-awaited metro rail connectivity

It forms part of the planned Orange Line, covering a 30-km route between Karond Circle and AIIMS. The first phase comprises two lines – the Orange Line (traffic on whose priority corridor was operationalised on Saturday) and the Blue Line, which will connect Bhadbhada Crossing with the Ratnagiri Trisquare.“It’s a big and historic day for MP’s administrative capital, Bhopal, with the formal start of metro railway services on the elevated corridor. Travelling on an elevated metro corridor makes citizens feel elevated. We’re hopeful that the two lines of the 30-km-long first phase will be completed over the next two years,” Khattar told journalists.Operationalisation of metro rail service in Bhopal makes MP’s administrative capital, the 26th city in the country, have a functional metro rail network.“Back in 2002, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the 5-km-long first line of the Delhi Metro railway. 23 years later, with the start of metro rail service on this 7-km-long line in Bhopal, India now has a 1090 km-long metro rail network spread across 26 cities,” Khattar said.”Further, 900 km-long metro rail lines are in the pipeline in various parts of the country. Once 300 km of those lines are completed and operationalised, India will surpass the USA’s 1400-km-long metro rail network and be second to China only in terms of length of metro rail network in the world,” Khattar announced.India is expanding its trade day by day with various countries. We’ve signed trade pacts with the UK and Oman. The India-New Zealand trade agreement too has attained the Union Cabinet’s nod on Friday.””The manner in which we’re gradually expanding our trade ties with different nations, the days aren’t far when India, like China, will compete with the US. India is moving towards that position; it’s the US and not India that should be concerned,” Khattar said.Khattar also informed that confusion about the work on a 7-km metro rail line in Indore has been cleared now.“There were differences between the metro rail-related officials at the centre and in MP, about whether that future stretch in Indore should be elevated or underground. The issue has been resolved as the line will be underground, as planned by officials in MP.”Earlier in the day, the Union Minister laid the foundation and unveiled 262 urban development projects worth Rs 8500 crores in MP. He also unveiled the blueprint/roadmap of the Bhopal Metropolitan Region (BMR), one of the two metropolitan regions (the other being the Indore Metropolitan Region) planned in MP on the lines of the National Capital Region (NCR).The BMR is envisaged to cover 12 urban areas, 2500 villages spread in 12,019 sq km area of 30 tehsils of six districts of central MP, including Bhopal, Sehore, Raisen, Rajgarh, Narmadapuram and Vidisha.For the overall development of BMR, the Bhopal Metropolitan Region Development Authority has been formed, while the creation of the Bhopal Metropolitan Transportation Authority is also planned for a 360-degree development of the region.



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