The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd is looking to collect over 50 per cent of the Nagpur metro’s revenue from non-fare box sources after June 2020, said Brijesh Dixit, Managing Director of the company.

The metro company is implementing Nagpur and Pune metro projects. The company is jointly owned by the Centre and the Maharashtra government.

Revenue from properties

Dixit told BusinessLine that when Nagpur’s 38-km metro system gets operational by the second half of 2020, revenues from sources such as property development around the stations would kick in.

The Maharashtra government has also approved Transit Oriented Development (TOD) initiative, which allows substantially higher FSI along the mass transportation corridors through vertical construction. Higher FSI will come at a cost to developers, which will be equally shared by Maharashtra Metro and Nagpur Municipal Corporation. Already, about ₹180 crore in revenues has been generated from TOD, he said.

TOD is being globally implemented in large cities for creating walkable and pedestrian-oriented housing and office areas. It is built along with a modern train system. Residents and office staff do not have to depend on cars and other modes of transport for mobility.

Dixit said that 80 per cent of the project work has already been completed. Metro services have started in 13 km and five stations are operational. At major stations such as Zero Mile station, a 20-storey commercial building will be constructed by Maharashtra Metro along with private developers. The platform on this station will be on the fifth floor.

The geographic heart of India is the zero-mile marker in Nagpur. Since the station is close to the marker, it is called Zero Mile station. The whole area around the Zero Mile site will be developed by Maharashtra Metro.

A museum dedicated to the science of surveying will also be built in the area, which will capture the importance of the marker and the Great Trigonometric Survey, which started in 1802 by the East India Company for measuring the Indian subcontinent.

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