Boon for daily commuters! Bhubaneswar Metro work to start by year-end, says Odisha minister

In what could be seen as good tidings for the people of Odisha, state’s Housing and Urban Development Minister Usha Devi on Friday said that Work for the much-awaited metro rail project in the Bhubaneswar capital region may start by the end of this year.

A review meeting on the Bhubaneswar Metro project was held under the stewardship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The minister said that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is roped in as a consultant and the detailed project report is being prepared. “The construction work may start by the end of 2023. The Chief Minister will lay the foundation stone for the project,” she added, reported PTI.

As per the report, the survey for the proposed Bhubaneswar Metro project has been finished. “The DPR, which is being prepared by the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation, is almost in its final stage and the concerned routes have also been identified. In the beginning, the metro rail will run between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, which will be later extended to Jatni and Puri,” the department’s secretary G Mathi Vathanan.

On the occasion of Utkal Divas, April 1, the Odisha Chief Minister said that the metro rail project will ease travelling for daily commuters as well as tourists. 

“The project had been studied by various stakeholders and subsequently its feasibility report was prepared. It will be predominantly based on elevated corridors which will be entirely funded by the state government,” said Vathanan, reported PTI.

As per the report, the travel time to cover 64 km between Puri and Bhubneswar will be reduced to less than 30 minutes.

Earlier FE.Com reported that the first phase of the project would involve the construction of a metro train from Trisulia in Cuttack to the Biju Pattanail airport in Bhubaneshwar. It will initially pass through various landmarks such as Patia, Nandankanan, Vani Vihar, and the railway station in the city.