Rs18,585Cr Mobility Masterplan Set To Zoom City Into Future

Time of India

14-05-2025

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Nagpur: Imagine a Nagpur where your daily commute is smoother, faster, and greener. That's the vision behind the city's ambitious Rs18,585.5 crore
Comprehensive Mobility Plan
(CMP), designed to revolutionise urban travel over the next several years. Drafted by
MahaMetro
in partnership with Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES), this multi-phased blueprint is nearing final review and promises a complete overhaul of Nagpur's transport landscape — from footpaths and flyovers to electric buses and mass rapid transit corridors.The ambitious CMP breaks down its budget into three implementation phases.
Phase 1, the most expansive, will require Rs14,067 crore. Phase 2 will follow with Rs3,637.8 crore, and Phase 3 will round off the execution with Rs880.7 crore.
The core focus areas for this extensive development include Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) facility improvements, mobility management measures, public transport enhancement, freight infrastructure development, and road improvement projects.A closer look at the project reveals that the lion's share of funding is reserved for creating High Capacity Mass Rapid Transit Corridors (MRTCs). The 36.5 km long stretches of high capacity corridors are planned at a cost of Rs9,125 crore, making it the single largest investment item in the proposal. Following this is the Medium Capacity MRTC, spanning 40.5 km with a budget of Rs4,455 crore. Interestingly, electric buses stand as the third-largest expenditure, with an allocation of Rs3,493 crore, underlining a serious push towards clean, sustainable public transport. The plan also includes city forecasting till 2054.Apart from the MRT systems and electric fleet, the plan includes a range of other major infrastructure developments. These include road widening, flyovers, underpasses, Road Over Bridges (ROBs), and upgraded bus terminals. A strong emphasis has also been placed on improving pedestrian infrastructure. About 156km of footpaths have been proposed in Phase 1 alone, with a standard minimum width of 1.8 meters and a curb height of 150 mm for pedestrian comfort and safety.Smart mobility also plays a key role in the CMP. An Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) is proposed at 175 strategic locations across the city, backed by a budget of Rs175 crore. To tackle the city's growing parking woes, the plan proposes four new off-street parking facilities with over 1,400 Equivalent Car Spaces (ECS) and 27 on-street parking zones covering 25.5km.The groundwork for the plan is already set through comprehensive surveys. A 650 km road network survey, speed and delay assessments, and vehicle counts at fuel stations were carried out. In addition, three bus terminals and four railway terminals were studied to assess multimodal integration.Although the blueprint is elaborate and forward-looking, it is still under review. A second round of stakeholder discussions was recently held at the divisional commissionerate. Officials confirm that a final review meeting is expected soon, after which the proposal will be sent to the state govt for approval.If approved and executed as envisioned, this CMP has the potential to completely reshape how Nagpur commutes, making it one of the most modern, connected, and commuter-friendly cities in India.