Rapid transit system or metro railway started in India in Kolkata and slowly expanded its scope to cover cities like Delhi and Bengaluru. One of the main aims of Narendra Modi – when he became the Prime Minister – was to modernize the railway system and one of the main avenues to attain the said ambition was improving metro connectivity across the country. From the looks of it, the various state governments have taken this up in earnest and started work to lay or extend their metro lines. The upshot of all this is that now several parts of the country will have their first metros and others will get more routes to choose from.
Metro in Lucknow
Lucknow Metro is one of the first names that come to mind when one thinks of metro routes in India that are supposed to start operations in 2016. It will probably kick off during December after being trialed in August. Construction for the route started on 27 September 2014. It is being built by Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation, who will be operating the same as well. It is expected to be the costliest system for public transport in the entire state and will be made at a cost amounting to almost INR 12500 crores. The second phase of construction is expected to start once the first one is up and running.
Metro in Bengaluru
In Bengaluru, Namma Metro will start running the Underground UG1 (north to south) line from June 2016. This line will cover a distance of 4 km and run from Sampige Road to National College and back. 2016 is also the year when the Namma Metro is expected to be fully operational. Reach 4 (south) is expected to start from April 2016. It will cover a distance of 4.1 km between National College and Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road. Reach 4A (south) is also expected to start running from April 2016. This line will cover a distance of 3.9 km from Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road and Puttenahalli.
Metro in Chennai
The metro railway network in Chennai is expected to be operational by August 2016. However, in light of the recent floods and the consequent devastation across the city things may get delayed a little. The first line of this network is supposed to run between Egmore and Thirumangalam. This was supposed to have been started in December 2015 itself. The entire network is supposed to have 32 stations and 19 of them are supposed to be underground. Each km of tunnel laid has cost the government INR 300 crore and each station has been estimated at INR 100 crore.
Metro in Delhi
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has stated that the second metro between Delhi and Noida is expected to be completed by December 2016. The line will connect Janakpuri (West) in Delhi to Botanical Garden in Noida. It will have a couple of stations in Noida. This corridor will also be known as Line 8 and will be the second connecting line between the two neighbouring cities. On the Delhi side the final stop will be Kalindi Kunj. The first station in Noida will be the Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
Metro in Hyderabad
Authorities are expected to start three new corridors in the metro rail network of Hyderabad. However, this is going to be before the entire metro rail network of Hyderabad is completed itself. The whole line is supposed to cover 72 km. The state government has already acquired almost 1500 properties and the government has spent almost INR 625 crore. The government is also supposed to spend INR 200 crore more when the roads along the corridors are widened. Metro rail authorities have also convinced people at 60 different sites about relocation of religious structures, demolishing of buildings and infrastructure, and shifting to other places in order to aid construction.
