Patna. Metro travel can start in Patna city within the next four to five years. According to the plan of the state government, work has started on both the corridors of Patna Metro from Patna Junction to ISBT and Danapur to Mithapur. In Corridor 2, along with the elevated work, the underground work is also going on, while in Corridor 1, the elevated work has started, but the underground work is yet to start.
Most work on the elevated route of corridor two
In Corridor II, the work on the elevated route from Malahi Pakdi to ISBT is going on at the fastest pace. Overall 42 percent work on this route has been completed. All the pillars are ready and the work of mounting U-Girder on them is going on. After placing the guard, as soon as the base is ready, along with laying the track, electrical work will be done. Five metro stations Malahi Pakdi, Khemnichak, Bhootnath, Zero Mile and Patliputra Bus Terminal are to be built on the priority corridor of about seven km long. Cross arm has been launched for the construction of metro station to be built near Patliputra bus terminal, while preparations are going on at Khemnichak and Bhoothnath stations. According to DMRC, the target is to finish the civil work of Priority Corridor by 2024.
Excavation being done 16 meters below the ground on the underground route
Work on the underground route of Corridor II itself (from Patna Junction to Fraser Road, Gandhi Maidan, Ashok Rajpath to Rajendra Nagar) has also started from April 2023. Excavation work on this underground route has been done from Moinul Haq Stadium. Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) weighing 420 metric tonnes is being used for underground excavation. This machine, equal to the weight of about 60 elephants, is working to make way for the metro by digging 16 meters below the ground level. The first TBM named ‘Mahavir’ started digging in the first week of April. Within a month, the second TBM was also launched at some distance from it. It is expected that both the TBMs will cover the distance of 1494 meters from Moinul Haq Stadium to Vishwavidyalaya Station (Patna University) by September 2023. After the excavation is completed till the university, both the TBMs will be retrieved and re-launched. Four TBMs are to be deployed for this corridor, out of which two TBMs will be launched at Gandhi Maidan station in the month of September. Both these TBMs will excavate the underground route from Gandhi Maidan to Patna Junction.
Corridor One: 11 percent work completed, underground excavation expected to start by March 2024
The tunneling work for the six underground stations to be built on Bailey Road in Patna Metro’s Corridor Two (Danapur to Patna Junction) may begin by March next year. At present, work is going on on the elevated section of this corridor from Danapur to Rukanpura. Pillars have started appearing on Bailey Road from Saguna Mor to Rukanpura. According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), 11 to 12 percent work of the elevated route of these five stations has been completed. Metro of Corridor One will come elevated from Danapur to Rukanpura, while after that it will remain underground till Mithapur via Bailey Road and Patna Junction. In this, the work of five stations Rukanpura, Patliputra, RPS Mod, Saguna Mod and Danapur is still going on.
Waiting for JICA’s approval for underground excavation
According to DMRC, underground excavation work on Corridor One is to be done with the funds of Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). JICA has approved the fund, but the tender process has not started yet. Looking at the processes, it is expected to start the work of underground stations from Patna station to Rukanpura by March next year. There are six underground stations on this route including Rukanpura, Rajabazar, Patna Zoo, Vikas Bhawan, Vidyut Bhawan and Patna station, for which tunneling work is yet to begin.
khemnichak and patna junction will be interchange stations
Patna Metro will have Patna station and Khemni Chak interchange station, from where metro will be available for both Corridor One and Corridor Two. An elevated metro station is to be built in Khemnichak, where both the platforms will be on the same level. From one platform, metro will be available for the route going to the junction via Rajendra Nagar, Ashok Rajpath, Fraser Road, while from the other platform, you will be able to catch the metro going to Saguna Mod via old Mithapur bus stand, Patna Junction, Bailey Road.
At the same time, Patna station will be one of the longest underground stations of Metro. Its total length will be 345 meters and the track depth will be about 23 meters from the ground level. Whereas, Patna station will be of three floors. The concourse will be on minus one (-1) level and below it will be platforms on two more levels. The platform of Corridor-II will be below the concourse and the platform of Corridor-I will be below that as well. All these floors will be connected to each other and the ground floor. Metro will run from Danapur to Mithapur from the lowest platform.
All underground stations will have island-like platforms
The platforms of all underground stations of Patna Metro will be island-like. When you stand at the underground metro station, vehicles will run on both sides of you. Metro tracks will be parallel to the platform on both sides from where metro trains will pass from both sides.
Metro will come out of the tunnel through ramps at two places in Patna, process of laying track started in ISBT depot
MoU was signed with DMRC in September 2019
An MoU has been signed with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on 25 September 2019 for the Patna Metro project. The Danapur to Mithapur portion of the total 31.39 km long Patna Metro is 16.94 km while the Patna Railway Station to New ISBT portion is 14.45 km long. Delhi Metro is responsible for the implementation of the entire project, including tendering, selection of contractors for civil works, systems (signalling, communication, E&M etc.), rolling stock, AFC, civil works systems, safety, quality and others. The only depot for the entire Patna Metro project is proposed near Patliputra Bus Terminal.
Project Description :
Total Network : Length 32.50 km
Total Stations : 26
Elevated : 13 stations (13.91 km)
Underground: 13 stations (18.59 km)
(youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOgr-VQwjxU)
