The project envisages two metro rail corridors Danapur to Mithapur, and the Patna Railway Station to New Inter-state Bus Terminus (ISBT). The project would be completed in five years.
As per the project plan, the Danapur Cantt to Mithapur corridor will pass through the heart of city and connect densely-populated areas like the Raza Bazar, Secretariat, High Court and Law University Railway Station, an official statement said.
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The Patna Junction to ISBT corridor will connect Gandhi Maidan, PMCH, Patna University, Rajendra Nagar, Mahatma Gandhi Setu, Transport Nagar and ISBT.
"The metro will provide eco-friendly and sustainable public transport to residents, commuters, industrial workers, visitors and travelers," the statement said.
It said that the length of Danapur to Mithapur corridor is 16.94 km and comprises of 11 stations. The length of Patna Station to New ISBT corridor is 14.45 km comprising of 12 stations.
"The existing population of 26.23 lakh of Patna agglomeration area is expected to be benefitted by Patna Metro Rail Project directly and indirectly," the government said.
It added that the corridors would have multimodal integration with railway stations and ISBT station and also have a feeder network of bus, Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) and Non Motorised Transport (NMT).
India is well on its way to create a world-class MRT system as an integral part of community infrastructure development in the country. Growing cities, growing population and growing traffic has invariably called for a shift from private modes of conveyance to public transport.
A glance at the world's developing nations indicates that well planned Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS) exist successfully. India (like many other developing countries) however has lagged behind though its first metro, the Kolkata Metro, started working almost 25 years ago. The reasons could be attributed to lack of funds planning as is known that such projects require huge capital investments, a long gestation period and complex technology.
Other reasons could include the lack of integration between various systems of mass transportation and the absence of comprehensive traffic and transportation planning. While researches show that the ideal modal share of public transport should be around 70%, however it is in tune to only 35%–40% in India's metro cities.
India is looking to create a world class infrastructure with Kolkata and Delhi , Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, and Kochi metros in existance.In the next few years while proposals for MRTS for Pune, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Bhopal, Indore and Faridabad are being chalked out. Union cabinet gave its approval for patna MRT project which will be completed in next five years.
(Inputs from IANS)
