INTERVIEW
Under the strong leadership of Dr. Brijesh Dixit, Managing Directior, the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha Metro) is executing various mass rapid transit systems in the Maharashtra. Maha Metro is committed to provide a safe, reliable, efficient, affordable, commuter friendly and environmentally sustainable rapid public transport system for the citizens of Nagpur and Pune. In a recent interaction with Urban Transport News, Dr. Dixit talks on the progress of metro rail projects after restarting of construction activities and how Maha Metro is facing Covid-19 challenges.
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Congratulations on winning `Construction World Person of the Year 2020 Award’. Kindly brief us about the significance of this award for Maha Metro. Being adjudged “Construction World Person of the Year- Public Sector 2020” is immensely gratifying and humbling experience. The award is a recognition to the hard work of the entire Maha-Metro team which from the very beginning has set the target of developing Metro Rail in cities of Nagpur and Pune within cost, and in the stipulated time-frame. This is actualized with the highest quality output and in the process has created many international bench marks. This recognition further emboldens the team to keep charging with enthusiasm to complete the two projects in a manner that we create more and more milestones and benchmarks. What is the current progress of the Nagpur Metro Rail project and when the first phase will be made fully operational? Nagpur Metro project is at advanced stage of completion. Twenty-five km of the project i.e. two third of the total
project length was completed in record 50 months period, with 1 km being constructed every two months. After stoppage of the passenger services during COVID-19 induced lock-down, operations have since recommenced on this stretch duly following all the COVID-19 safety protocol. As regards the full first phase completion, currently the physical and financial progress of Nagpur Metro project stands at 89% and 82% respectively. The work on the balance portion of the project in Reach II (Orange Line) and Reach IV (Aqua Line) had few months setbacks due to outbreak of COVID-19 and subsequent lock-down measures announced by the government. Nonetheless, the work is now progressing at brisk pace, and the full project is likely to get operational by the end 2021. Kindly tell our readers about the current progress of the Pune Metro Rail project and the deadline set to commission the priority section of the project. Pune Metro Project consists of two corridors totalling 33.28 km route length (including five km underground section), 30 stations and two Metro Coach Maintenance Depots. The physical progress and financial progress of the
NOVEMBER 2020 // Urban Transport Infrastructure
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