Odisha Govt approves Cuttack-Bhubaneswar-Puri Metro Corridor

Bhubaneswar, India (Metro Rail Today): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the proposal of implementing a metro rail project in Bhubaneswar that will connect Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri on 1st April 2023.

"The Odisha government has approved the metro train service from Bhubaneswar airport to Trishulia in the first phase. It will cover a distance of over 20 km areas of airport, railway station, Vani Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Patia, Nandankanan and Trishulia," said official sources.

According to proposal, the proposed metro train service will be extended to Puri and it will connect Cuttack and Bhubaneswar with the pilgrim town.

“I am pleased to announce the metro train project connecting Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Puri and Khurda. The project has been studied by various stake holders and feasibility reports prepared . In the first phase we will create the metro trunk route from Trisulia near Cuttack to Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. The route will tentatively touch major landmarks such as Nandankanan, Patia, Vani Vihar, Railway Station and so on. As the project is starting from near Subash Bose Setu, it will enable  the commuters from CTC to access important locations in Bbsr. In later phases the metro will expand to Khurda and Puri,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

“I have asked Housing and Urban Development Department to complete the DPR on a war footing. The project will be predominantly based on elevated corridors  and will be entirely funded by the state government,” he added.

"The tentative cost of the project including the land acquisition cost can only be ascertained after preparation of the DPR. The metro project will have a significant volume of investment,” commented State Housing and Urban Development Secretary G Mathi Vathanan. However, official sources said that the metro project in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Khurda and Jatni would involve investment of over Rs 15,000 crore.

In September last year, Aparajita Sarangi, Member of Parliament from Bhubaneswar, had called for expediting the proposal for an Integrated Metro Rail System for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. She written a letter to Odisha Chief Minister requesting him to send a proposal to the Central Government in this regard.

In August 2014, the government had engaged Hyderabad-based consultancy firm Balaji Railroad Systems Limited (BARSYL) to prepare a feasibility report for a mass rapid transit system in Bhubaneswar. However, BARSYL, in its pre-feasibility report, found that a full-scale metro was not feasible in Bhubaneswar citing low population and huge project cost.

“The consultant (BARSYL) had suggested including some additional areas to make the metro project feasible. We have prepared a fresh plan accordingly and found it feasible,” Vathanan added.