Metro Rail in Odisha

Odisha is all set to get its first metro rail. According to the sources, the proposed metro rail in Odisha will connect Jatni, Khurda, Bhubaneswar, Barang, Cuttack and Choudwar. Centre has already approved financial help to Odisha. The state government has been instructed to submit a detailed project report for this. After reviewing the project report thoroughly, centre will proceed further on this matter.

According to the proposal the length of the metro rail in Odisha is expected to be 32 km. The State Government has started making the project report. The project will be fund by the state govt. and the central govt equally. It will take around 2 years to make a complete project report as a number of parameters are to be taken into account. As all the metro rail projects need to be approved by the Central Govt. so its nod is going to be the key affair here. The cost estimated for this project is going to be huge. While the overhead metro rail costs Rs 200 crore per kilometer, the underground metro costs about 300 crore per kilometer. The state govt. will bear 50 percent of the cost and the other half of the cost will be given by Union Urban Development Ministry. 

Currently only 3 cities in India have metro rail facilities. The three cities are Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore. While these three cities are still expanding their metro rail network, metro rail projects are under construction in other cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mumbai. Gujarat is also on its way to have metro rail in the state and for the purpose it has launched a company as well. As per the sources, Jaipur metro rail will be functional from October 2013 and Mumbai metro rail will be functional from December 2013. However, Chennai and Hyderabad metro rail projectes are expected to end in the year 2015. Another cirt Pune is also planning to have metro rail in the city. It had submitted report to the Cenrat Govt. But the report was rejected because of some doubts regarding alignment. Assam is also planning in similar line to have a metro rail project. 

Hope after West BENGAL, Odisha becomes the second state in Eastern India to have metro rail.