Nagpur: MahaMetro, which is expecting to start commercial operations between Khapri and Sitabuldi by February end, also hopes that Zero Mile Station will be ready by end of this year. Traffic on Sitabuldi flyover which was closed on account of construction of a crucial segment of the viaduct will open in a couple of days.Zero Mile would be the first rail station in the country built at fifth level of a structure, with the train passing below a 15-storey building, said MahaMetro’s managing director Brijesh Dixit during a media visit to the station. Zero Mile and Sitabuldi stations will change the entire landscape of the area. There will be four multi-storey buildings along the stations, he said.“Zero Mile station and the building beneath it are expected to be ready by year’s end. The 15-storey tower will be constructed on public private partnership (PPP) basis for which tenders will be issued eventually. A skywalk will be constructed for the pedestrians who will be able to cross the busy Sitabuldi road and reach the station,” Dixit said.The tracks would be laid by the middle of the year and service building may be completed by year end, said another metro official present during the visit. The structure above that will have establishments like offices, hotels or even hospitals.“The second building is proposed by the state government as an annexe to Vidhan Bhavan. It will be housing state government offices shifted to the city during assembly sessions. During rest of the year, other state government department offices will be accommodated. The proposal is being examined and once approved by the state government, work would begin,” said Dixit. Two similar buildings have been planned at Sitabuldi station too.Dixit informed Commissioner of Metro Rain Safety (CMRS) will carry out inspection on February 25. The 13km run between Munje Chowk at Sitabuldi and Khapri on the north-south corridor and 5km run from Lokmanya Nagar at Hingna to Subhash Nagar on the east-west corridor can then begin soon after.Saying not much traffic is expected in initial phase, the trains may run at a frequency one or half an hour. The timings will be set considering traffic flow. The trains may run from 6 or 7am to 11pm, he said. So far Mahametro has earned Rs 140 crore of non-fare revenue, he said“At Sitabuldi, metro network can provide direct access from the Glocal Mall if promoters allowed access to metro passengers from their area apart from meeting other conditions,” said Dixit.

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