INDORE: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal and state Urban Development and Housing Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday flagged off the second phase of the Indore Metro from Bapat Chauraha station, marking the formal launch of the city’s expanded metro operations.
The launch marks a significant milestone in Indore’s urban transport infrastructure and is expected to ease commuting and provide residents with a faster and more convenient public transport option.
Yadav thanked Manohar Lal for the Centre’s continued support to Madhya Pradesh’s urban infrastructure projects. Referring to the recent launch of the Bhopal Metro, he said the expansion of metro services in Indore was not only a matter of pride for the city but for the entire state.
The Chief Minister said the metro would gradually become part of the daily routine of Indore residents and make urban mobility more convenient. During the inaugural journey, Yadav travelled with students of Sandipani Vidyalaya and interacted with them about their studies and education.
Manohar Lal said the launch of the 11-km new corridor was a milestone for Indore, extending metro connectivity beyond the earlier six-km stretch in the outer areas to key parts of the city. He said the expansion would benefit students, employees, traders and residents through safe, convenient and time-bound transport, while also boosting industry, trade and tourism. Citing the rapid expansion of India’s metro network, he said it had grown from 245 km across five cities in 2014 to nearly 1,170 km across 26 cities. He described metro infrastructure as an important component of the vision of a developed India by 2047 and said the expansion could improve connectivity to the bus stand, railway station, airport and Ujjain.
Vijayvargiya said the long-term plan was to extend the metro to Pithampur, Mhow, Dewas-Maksi and Ujjain, with the project aimed at decentralising Indore and driving development across the wider region. He said metro work would continue for the next 10-15 years and that underground construction was planned along key stretches such as MG Road to preserve the city’s aesthetics, despite the additional cost.
The inaugural metro travelled from Bapat Chauraha through Heera Nagar, Chandragupt Chauraha, ISBT, MR-10 and Bhaurasla Chauraha before reaching Gandhi Nagar station via Super Corridor.
According to metro officials, services will operate daily from 9 am to 7 pm, with trains available at 15-minute intervals. More than 70 trips are expected to be operated each day.
The launch was attended by Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava, MP Shankar Lalwani, MLAs Usha Thakur, Malini Gaur, Madhu Verma and Golu Shukla, along with senior state officials and representatives of the district administration and Indore Municipal Corporation.