Metro train route to be extended

Bhubaneswar: The route of the proposed metro train service in Bhubaneswar will be extended to make it a viable project, Odisha Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said here on Tuesday. The previous BJD government had planned to take up the phase-I metro project of the 26-km-long stretch between Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar to Trisulia in Cuttack at an investment of Rs 6,225 crore.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Mahapatra said, “I want to make it clear that our government wants to execute the metro project. We are neither against the project nor going to scrap it,” he said. The metro train service was proposed from Bhubaneswar airport to Trisulia near Cuttack. But what will someone do visiting Trisulia?, he asked.

“So, we have formed an expert committee to study and recommend a proper route to make the metro project viable,” Mahapatra said.

He said that a revised detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared soon to expand the project till Cuttack city and other areas.

It was also planned to construct an elevated corridor on the busy Jayadev Vihar-Nandankanan Road of Bhubaneswar city.

The first layer of the elevated corridor will be made for vehicular movement while the upper level will be dedicated to the upcoming metro project, he said.

In a written statement to the State Assembly on Tuesday, the minister said the metro rail project work was started on November 20, 2023 and target was set to complete it by 2027.

While Rs 210 crore has been allocated for the project in the year 2023-24, another Rs 1,000 sanctioned during the current financial year, of which Rs 393 crore has been spent so far, he said.