Bhopal Metro's 16-Year Journey from Dream to Reality: A New Identity for the Nawab City

Bhopal Metro's 16-year journey from imagination to reality, set to transform the face of Bhopal, the city of Nawabi elegance. Read the full story to know more.

MP News Bhopal Metro:I am Bhopal Metro… Once a figment of imagination, then on paper, and now I am set to become the heartbeat of the Nawab city of Bhopal in reality. For 16 years, I have been the subject of questions… When will I arrive? When will I run? When will the Bhopal Metro operate…!

After months of digging, the roar of machines, and amidst the earthy fragrance of Bhopal's refined soil, my tracks were laid, and then I came into existence… There were many announcements that I would start running from a certain date, the dates arrived and passed… then new dates, then the run was postponed, many announcements were made and then postponed.. And now, once again, December 21, 2025, has been set as the date… CM Dr. Mohan Yadav has said that he will gift Bhopal the metro on Sunday, December 21, 2025. If everything goes according to the CM's announcement, there are only 10 days left… on the 11th day, I will begin the story of an easy journey for the people of Bhopal. The story of my 16-year journey has not been easy… during this time, there were many obstacles, work stopped, but now, leaving behind these hurdles and obstructions, I am finally ready to write a new chapter of the city's development… Wouldn't you like to know the tales of my struggles and the beginning of the new story on December 21, 2025…?

Bhopal Metro Dream First Envisioned in 2009

2009… When, considering the rapidly increasing traffic in the capital and the growing pressure on public transport, the concept of a metro emerged in imagination. People also started thinking… Will Bhopal ever see a metro? At that time, routes were scouted for me, plans were made, and I gradually moved from files to find a place in the city's hopes.

2016-2018 My First Form and First Promise

2016… When my Detailed Project Report (DPR) was first created. The central government gave its approval… For the first time, I felt that perhaps I would truly become a part of this city's atmosphere, beauty, and speed. Two lines were decided upon… Orange and Blue. My cost, my tracks, my stations… everything was mapped out.

2019: My Existence Materialised on Ground After Imagination and Paper

January 2019… For the first time, my pillars were erected. My first route, 6.2 kilometres from AIIMS to Subhash Nagar, began to be constructed. Every rising pillar brought me closer to my dream.

2020-2021: COVID Arrived and Halted Everything, I Too Stopped…

COVID halted everything. There were fewer labourers, even supplies stopped, the city's rhythm changed. At that time, I had no other option but to wait. Yes… my speed certainly slowed down, but it didn't stop. By 2022, my structure – my strong pillars, viaducts, and stations – were almost ready.

2023–2024: The First Trial

October 2023… The day I first ran on the tracks, sometimes slowly, sometimes cautiously, but always moving towards increasing speed.

Then in 2024… My braking, my doors, my signalling – everything was tested. RDSO evaluated me, and I passed every test with confidence. Yes, my launch date was pushed forward… but the trust never wavered… yours, nor mine.

2025: Finally, the Biggest Approval

November 12-15, 2025 – The CMRS team arrived and inspected me from every angle. Station by station, every pillar, every track was thoroughly examined. During this time, I kept telling them – 'Look, I am ready… just give me permission to run.' And then… they said – 'OK to run.' This means the Bhopal Metro received the final approval for commercial operation. It was then that Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav announced the date, December 21, 2025, for the inauguration of the Bhopal Metro… This was the moment… that gave new life to my 16-year journey.

Now, December 21, 2025…

For me and for Bhopal, this will not just be an inauguration. It will be the day when I, for the first time, will travel with the common people, becoming part of the city's developmental pulse. AIIMS, DRM Office, MP Nagar, Suburb… as people pass by my windows, they will perhaps think, 'The dream has come true.' This first corridor is from AIIMS to Subhash Nagar, spanning 6.2 km….

What's Next?

I will extend to Karond, spread from Ratnagiri to Bhadbhada, and become not just a new line on Bhopal's map, but a new identity. The Blue Line will run from Bhadbhada to Ratnagiri. The entire network is expected to take shape by 2027-28.

Metro's Features at a Glance

• Two-tiered stations: Concourse and platform levels
• Daily transport capacity of 7 lakh passengers.
• Speed of 80 kilometres per hour.
• Stairs, lifts, and escalators for passengers
• Capacity to run trains at intervals of every five minutes.
• AI-based CCTV cameras
• Coaches are 22 meters long and 2.9 meters wide
• Weight approximately 42 tons
• AC coaches
• Relief for the city from overhead electrical wires
• Ability to regenerate energy during braking
• Use of state-of-the-art fire fighting systems
• Smart lighting system in coaches
• Automated ticketing on National Common Mobility Card
• Automatic doors for persons with disabilities
• Toilet facilities at stations etc.
• Customer care centres at stations as well

And Now… A Promise from Me to You

I want to tell the city dwellers that I am not just a train running on tracks… I will also become Bhopal's speed, its heartbeat, and will shape its new future.

Bhopal Metro to Run for the First Time on December 21

When I blow my first whistle on December 21, understand that not just a metro, but a new chapter of Bhopal is beginning… The government itself does not consider this merely a transport project; it will reduce traffic, reduce pollution, and give Bhopal a new modern identity. Free travel for 7 days as a gift, followed by budget-friendly fares, will be my specialty, and it will save time too.